


Oh, where do we begin?

by the_wildest_ace1



Category: DCU (Comics), Descendants (Disney Movies), Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ben (Disney: Descendants)-centric, Crossover, Gen, Isle of the Lost (Disney) is a Terrible Place, Nothing to see here, Protective Natasha Romanov, United States of Auradon (Disney) Is Not Perfect, just some kids making the world a better place
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2020-04-08 05:42:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 36,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19100857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_wildest_ace1/pseuds/the_wildest_ace1
Summary: There had been a time, before he was born, where the land was overrun with villains of all shapes and sizes, from various backgrounds and dangerous abilities. But it was under the multiple leadership of his father, King Adam, and Director Nick Fury that heroes everywhere united to make a stand against the villains' tyranny. They had won-of course, as most heroes do- and rounded all the villains into one major prison.The Isle of the Lost.The home to every single villain, sidekick and henchman who either fought, aided and abetted during the Great War of Auradon.And their children, as it turned out.





	1. Oh, where do we begin?

**Author's Note:**

> to all who decided to read this crossover, welcome! i've had this idea in my head for ages now, mainly because ben is one of my faves and i honestly wish they would've explored his character more. there's literally so much that needs to be explored in this franchise. i also couldn't decide to use marvel or dc's version of olympus, so i ended up including both verses!

The summer solstice had always been Prince Ben's favorite time of year, and who could blame him? The flowers had fully bloomed and their sweet aroma carried out through the entire land. The water was warm and usually accompanied by lovely weather, allowing him to explore the beaches. He could enjoy watching the sunset and how it illuminated just how truly perfect the city of Auradon was. Now as Ben sat at the bay view window in his bedroom, he took in the view of this kingdom- _his_  kingdom, _his home_ \- and it's elegant buildings and flawless view, the young prince couldn't help but think the opposite.

Of course, Ben had always known this to be true. There had been a time, before he was born, where the land was overrun with villains of all shapes and sizes, from various backgrounds and dangerous abilities. But it was under the multiple leadership of his father, King Adam, and Director Nick Fury that heroes everywhere united to make a stand against the villains' tyranny. They had won-of course, as most heroes do- and rounded all the villains into one major prison. 

The Isle of the Lost.

The home to every single villain, sidekick and henchman who either fought, aided and abetted during the Great War of Auradon. 

And their children, as it turned out. 

That isn't to say that villainy had packed up it's bags and gone with it. No, that would be too easy. There were villains, some who ducked their heads during the Great War, using the battle to their advantage, to wait for the perfect moment to strike, when the heroes least expected it. Some villains were newer, choosing to go down the path of darkness and malevolence instead. But just as new adversaries came into play, newer heroes stepped up to fight. And the villains were sent off to either Belle Reve or the Raft.

But not the Isle of the Lost. That was specifically reserved for the villains who were already there.  

And their children as well, apparently. 

Ben inhaled sharply as his eyes found the only dark spot of the United States of Auradon. The Isle stood stock in the middle of the sea, facing the kingdom of Auradon as a reminder that the villains had lost. That the villains would cause no more pain, bloodshed or discord. That the villains were no longer able to harm anyone with their wickedness and cruelty. That their legacy would not live on.

At least not in Auradon.

But it did on the Isle.

Through their children. 

The villains had children. 

With a pained groan, the prince stood and began to pace, his thoughts turning into a jumbled mess. The villains had children. The villains had _children._ The most vile and evilest creatures _had produced_ _children._ _There were children born and raised on the Isle of the Lost._ It seemed impossible, as if it was a sick and twisted prank. And yet, he could still hear Director Fury's words ringing loud and clear in his head. 

* * *

 

_"We still haven't found the source of the disturbance, Your Majesty." Director Fury had began, his face betrayed nothing as he spoke and Ben had founded himself envying the older man. Despite his hard efforts, he couldn't quite master the stoicism and coolness that the director of S.H.I.E.L.D exuded. "Though Black Widow did find something worth sharing."_

_Ben had watched as his parents exchanged a wary look and couldn't help the unease that settled in his stomach. He had quickly reminded himself that the villains on the Isle were of no threat to him or his people. The barrier blocking any magic from coming in or out had seen to that. But if something had disturbed it, then maybe..._

_With a quick shake of his head, he had dismissed the thought. While Auradon was the land were anything was possible, the villains breaking free was actually impossible. Even **if** they did, and the chance of that happening was slim to **none** , they had S.H.I.E.L.D, the Justice League **and** the Avengers all ready to send them back. He had nothing to worry about. With that thought in place, he had turned his attention back to the red headed agent who had stepped up beside the director. _

_"After two days of reconnaissance, I found that, despite coming from inside the barrier, no one had any clue that something had happened." the Widow said "I also found that there are **children** living on the Isle."_

* * *

 

The rest of the meeting had happened in some kind of daze. He could remember every word of surprise and anger and fear that was said, as he sat there gaping in shock. He was still in shock. How could there be children on the Isle? How was this possible?

 _How had no one noticed_ , Ben thought to himself. The Isle may not have been _physically_ part of Auradon, but it was _legally_ , wasn't it? After all, they sent a monthly barge to the Isle with food! Surely the workers would've seen the children, right?  _It would be impossible to miss these kids_ , Ben thought in a huff.  _Unless the workers forgot on purpose_ , he thought.

With another groan, the prince fell face first onto his bed in despair. By the gods, this was a mess. A downright, fucking mess.

"This sucks." he muttered into cool sheets.

"Good to see you too, Ben."

He startled at the new voice, sending himself off the bed in his shock. But it was worth it, he decided, as he heard the melodious laughter that he had been deprived of hearing the past two weeks. He got up with a playful scowl, that soon melted into a soft smile at the sight of his best friend. 

Demetria Trevor, daughter to Diana and Steve Trevor, was, in his opinion, the most gorgeous girl to ever walk the earth. Her beauty went deeper than her heart shaped lips and dark brown eyes; it came from within her kind heart and her compassion. She was bravery and adventurous and heroic and determination all wrapped up into one beautiful demigoddess. A demigoddess that he got to call his best friend. 

(He may also have a teeny crush on her, but he likes to keep that to himself.)

"Are you okay over there?" asked Demetria, as she sat on his bed and began to take off her sandals, making herself at home. 

"I am, no thanks to you."

"In my defense, I _did_ knock." she pointed out "You were just to busy moping." She began to shrug out of her trademark denim jacket, before looking at him in concern "What were you moping about anyways?"

He bit back another groan as he recalled the thoughts that had been pushed away by Demetria's arrival. "That bad?" she asked softly, before frowning slightly "Don't tell me it was your dad again."

"Not exactly."

A loud groan echoes through the room, not from the prince, but from Demetria. "One of these days- _one of these fucking days_ \- I'm going to march up to Adam and just-just-just slap him with a shoe, dammit!" she snarled, rising from the bed and began to pace. Ben could only smile fondly as she began to rant. While Demetria loved his parents dearly, she and his dad didn't always see eye to eye. It had been that way ever since preschool and continued as the years went by. Though in the beginning it had been nothing but harmless bickering, it had slowly turned into heated debates about Auradon's laws and Ben's king training. 

Adam believed that Ben should rule the same way he did; to follow the traditions that came before them, to be strict and in control at all times.

Demetria believed that Ben should rule the way _Ben_ wanted to; to follow his instinct and gut. To be kind and fair, but firm and resolute.

"When will your dad get it through that big head of his, that you're still a teenager! You're fifteen, for crying out loud! Fifteen!" she snapped, before giving him a wide smile. "Not that I think you won't do an amazing job, Benji. You're the only fifteen year old I trust to run this place." Demetria said with a sweet smile "But _honestly_ , the fact that they're making you king at sixteen for no other reason that it's tradition is such _bullshit_!" 

"So you keep saying."

"I keep hoping that they'll realize I'm right and reconsider." she huffed, before laying down beside him "You're going to be a fantastic king. You're empathetic and compassionate, which means you'll look at everything thoroughly so everyone will be treated fairly. You believe in peace and compromise, but you're also not afraid to fight. You're a good problem solver and quick on your feet. Well, mostly." 

He let out a small huff and she rolled onto her side, propping herself up on her elbow to look down at him. "I _know_ you, Benji. You are a good person, Benjamin Florian, and in a world like this, people like you are hard to come by." she said. He swallowed slightly, then pushed back her dark brown hair so he could have a clearer view of her face. As brown eyes locked onto green, a slow smile spread on her face, causing Ben's heart to skip a beat. Softly, she murmured "You're going to do great-no, _marvelous_ things, λιακάδα."

"You sound so sure, Demi-dame." he said softly, hating how hesitant and unsure he sounded. He was going to be king soon- in two months, to be exact. He had to get over this doubt if he had any chance of ruling successfully.

"But of course." she laid down beside him, curling into his side with a sigh "The fates will it so. And I'll be by your side every step of the way to ensure it." 

Warmth filled him at her words, and, not for the first time, he wondered how he got so lucky. How was it that he, a mere mortal, was lucky enough to grow up and know this wonderful celestial being. She's so good to him, too good to him. He wasn't sure what he ever did to deserve Demetria, but he won't question it. He'll just keep doing it over and over, praying that she stays by his side like she said. 

(Okay, so maybe it's more than a crush. Sue him.)

"Thank you, Demi."

"I'm your best friend, Benji. It's my job to pick you up when you're down and talk shit about your dad."

An abrupt laugh escaped him, that was Demetria soon joined. "Leave my dad alone, Demi. It's not his fault I'm upset."

" _What?!_ " she sat up abruptly, glaring down at him playfully "So I just used that whole speech for no reason?!" she slapped him lightly on the arm " _Ben!_ Now what am I supposed to say at your coronation?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something." he said dryly. With a deep breath, he regaled what happened earlier in the meeting with his parents, Directory Fury and Black Widow. Once he finished, he took in her flabbergasted expression and took her hand in sympathy. "So, yeah. There are kids on the Isle. It's a thing.  _They're_ a thing. People."

He waited for her to recover, finding the initial panic and shock ebb away after explaining to her. Ben watched as Demetria opened and closed her mouth a few times, before finally speaking. "You're shitting me."

"Nope."

"You're shitting me, Benjamin."

"I am, in no shape or form, shitting you, Demetria." he said firmly. Ben watched her jaw drop open in shock, as she finally accepted what he said. "So..."

"So..." she echoed, looking just as off kilter as he had earlier. "The villains have kids." She nodded her head from side to side, almost as if the motion would make the concept stick. "The villains' kid. Villain kids."

"The VKs if you will." he added, causing a surprised snort to leave her.

"Great Rhea." she breathed out "VKs. How the fuck is this possible?"

"Maybe they wanted to start a family?" Demetria leveled Ben with a stern look, making the prince shrug. "Aside from the obvious answer, there's no real explanation."

"So what happens now?"

And that was the real question wasn't it. What would happen to the children of the Isle? Would they continue to live on the Isle? The answer should be no; no, the children would  _not_ stay on the Isle. After all, the Isle of the Lost was created to hold the villains of the Great War of Auradon; the villains who had committed crimes against the innocents of Auradon. Their children were exactly that- children. Innocent children.

And yet...

And yet Ben knew, that when his father settled back into his chair, after multiple reassurances that the barrier was still impenetrable, that all things regarding the Isle were no longer of concern. That while the revelation of the Isle holding children was shocking, it also wasn't a _threat_. That even though no one said anything, that all four adults- even his kindhearted mother-had silently agreed, that the children of the Isle wasn't their concern. Wasn't _Auradon's_ concern.

Standing from his bed, he walked back over to his bay view window that overlooked Auradon, he took in the view of this kingdom-  _his_  kingdom,  _his home_ \- and it's elegant buildings and flawless view. It was in that moment that he knew, he knew what would happen now.

He looked out to the Isle, a small dark spot in the middle of the ocean, far away from Auradon so that's it's darkness could not tarnish Auradon's perfect borders, but close enough to remind the villains of their fallen legacy.

To remind the children of the Isle what they've been denied.

 _Well, that just won't do,_ Ben thought fiercely. He looked at the Isle once last time, before turning around and meeting Demetria's confused gaze with his determined one. "The children of the Isle are not of Auradon's concern, as it turns out." he started slowly "But they are of _mine_." He folds his hands in front of him, waiting for his words to sink in and to see how she reacts.

And _oh_ , does she react.

She swung her feet over the edge, a wide smirk on her face, sharp and dangerous. Her eyes were alight the way they get when faced with a fight- a challenge. Demetria Trevor, daughter to Diana and Steve Trevor, was, in his opinion, the most gorgeous girl to ever walk the earth. Her beauty went deeper than her heart shaped lips and dark brown eyes; it came from the way she strode towards him as if she was on a battlefield, ready to bring armies down to their knees.

 _By the gods, did he love her_.

"It's  _our_ concern." she corrected, her voice low and filled with promise and he's so fucking grateful to have her by his side "So where do we begin?" 

 

 


	2. Let's get down to business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the revelation Ben had dropped on her two days ago, the duo had been brainstorming how to get the villains' kids off the Isle. They had their goal, but no plan to achieve it. And if there was one thing her parents' had drilled into her, it was always have a plan or, at the very least, be prepared for whatever comes your way. Hence, why the duo were going to meet up with the rest of their friends at Stark Tower for help. After all, five heads are better than two. 
> 
> If only Donna would hurry up, Demetria thought in irritation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo this one ended up being longer than I had planned, but c'est la vie.

Rolling her eyes, Demetria looked up from where she laid on the ground, with her feet propped up against the black convertible in front of her in hopes that her sister would get a move on. Demetria loved her big sister, honest she did, but today was _so_ not the day to be taking the scenic route. After the revelation Ben had dropped on her two days ago, the duo had been brainstorming how to get the villains' kids off the Isle. They had their goal, but no plan to achieve it. And if there was one thing her parents' had drilled into her, it was always have a plan or, at the very least, be prepared for whatever comes your way. Hence, why the duo were going to meet up with the rest of their friends at Stark Tower for help. After all, five heads are better than two. 

 _If only Donna would hurry up,_ Demetria thought in irritation. She had promised Ben that she would meet him there at 12:30 and it was 11:45 now. _And_ they still had a half hour drive ahead of them. With an annoyed groan, the brunette demigoddess began to kick at the car door. "Donna!  _Donna, come on! Donna_ _!"_

"That's a bad idea." The brunette opened her eyes, only to find Delilah Lance-Queen staring down at her in exasperation. The smaller girl had her hands on her hips and her light brown eyes were pleading. With a quirked brow, Demetria lifted her foot before knocking it back into the car. Groaning, Delilah turned away from Demetria and looked behind. "Herkie, tell your cousin to stop being dumb!"

The son of Hercules and Megara, took in the scene from his seat on the porch swing, blue eyes alight with mischief. "Donna's gonna kill you." he sang as he ate from a small tin. 

"Not if I kill her first. And you better not eat all of the halvas." she warned, before kicking the car again much to Delilah's displeasure " _Donna!_ " 

"Do I really have to? After all, we all know Ben's going to buy you macaroons, if he hasn't already." he teased, then cocked his head to the side in thought "You know if you break the car, we'll never make it to Ben's."

"And that's why I'm not kicking it hard." She said, though she looked up just to be on the safe side. And just as she had predicted, the car was still in perfect shape, not a scratch or scuff in sight "If anything, I'm exercising restraint, Dee." 

"I don't think that's how it works, Dems." countered Delilah.

Demetria opened her mouth to retort, but let out a small screech instead as a hand suddenly grabbed her kicking foot and pulled her up right. Well, as up right as she could be, what with being dangled by her ankle and all. 

Looking up at her sister's scowling face, Demetria couldn't help but smirk. "Serves you right for taking so long."

"Is that so?" drawled Donna, before dropping Demetria down. The teen screeched once more, though it was drowned out by Donna's laughter "Serves you right for beating up my car." 

Ignoring Delilah's 'I told you so' and Herkie's laughter, Demetria got to her feet with an annoyed huff and watched as Donna checked over the door. " _You_ were the one who promised to drive us today."

" _You_ were the one who was supposed to get her own permit." 

"What's the point?" the teen groaned "I don't even know why you drive. We can _fly!_ "

"And yet, here I am, driving you and your friends around all day-"

"It is not all day! And it's not all of my friends- it's just Ben, Delilah and Herkie." she protested "And Delilah is our guest. She deserves your kindness." 

"Please don't drag me into this."

A snort escaped the older sibling, as she gestured for Demetria, Delilah and Herkie to get in. "Delilah gets the same attention as you and Herkie." said Donna "Only one who gets special attention is Ben."

"Hey!" 

"Because he's your favorite."

"No, Dick is my favorite. Ben is a close second" Donna corrected with a sly smile as she pulled out of their driveway "He'd be my absolute favorite, if you two finally got over yourselves and admitted you love each other." 

Demetria startled from where she sat in the passenger seat, before turning to her big sister with a slightly hysterical laugh. "I'll probably regret asking this, but what's so funny?"

"You are. Thinking I'm in love with Ben."

"I don't think-I know. Just about everybody does."

"That's so not-wait a sec. Define _everybody_." Donna hummed playfully for a moment, grinning as Demetria seethed in impatience. It was no secret that the youngest Trevor daughter was impatient- horribly impatient. It was the one lesson that no one- not their parents, not Donna, not even Athena or Hera- could get the teen to exhibit patience. _Thank the Gods Ben has enough for the both of us,_ thought Demetria. "Anyone care to explain?" 

"Well, uh, I wouldn't say everyone..." Demetria turned in her seat to look at Delilah, who shrugged noncommittally "Okay, so there's me, my mom and dad, and your family. There's also the Titans- pretty sure the League knows too- that reminds me! Pretty sure Ben's parents know, but don't quote me on that-"

"What? What?!" Demetria interrupted "What do you mean Belle and Adam know?! How could they possibly know I-" Cutting herself off with a groan, she dragged her hands over her face before turning to Donna with a stern look. "The fact that you all believe that Ben and I are in love each other is completely asinine." 

"Right. We're the crazy ones." 

Demetria sank back in her seat with a scowl. "Yeah, you are. Ben doesn't love me." she said annoyed. The brunette couldn't help but jump at the loud laugh that left her sister's mouth. "Great Rhea, either shut up or pull over before you crash your precious car."

"Okay, that's enough!" Herkie said, clapping his hands in an attempt to ease the atmosphere. Demetria met her cousin's understanding look with a look of gratefulness. "If Demetria says she's not in love, then she's not. Got it?"

"Oh come on, Herkie-"

" _Donna_." Demetria looked away as Herkie and Donna exchanged a few looks in the rearview mirror, instead focusing on the wave of warmth ran through her. Not for the first time in her life, she was glad that her cousin understood her when Donna. It wasn't that she wasn't in love with Ben, because as much as she told Donna she wasn't and pretended otherwise, she really did love Ben. After all, she'd be stupid not to. 

Everyone always said that Ben was like his mother; brilliant and kindhearted, but he was so much more than that. He was the one who extended a helping hand to everyone he met. He was the one who instigated most of their adventures, contrary to their parents thought. He was curious, adventurous and playful. He was λιακάδα- sunshine- in the flesh, bright and cheerful. It was like her Aunt Aphrodite always said- beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.

(It just so happened that Ben had the lightest shade of piercing green eyes she had ever seen. And that he had such soft and pretty hair. And _Gods_ , did he look good in a suit.) 

So yeah, Demetria's in love with Ben. And if Donna was right- and as much as she hated to admit it, Donna was always right- everyone knew it, which meant three things. _Ben_ _knew_ and wasn't saying anything to spare her feelings. Or Ben _didn't_ know and was completely oblivious to her feelings. Then there was the third option that forced Demetria to stay silent.

Ben didn't know and didn't feel the same way, causing a rift between the two, eventually causing Demetria to lose, not only her best friend, but the best person to ever come into her life. 

So yeah, Demetria wasn't saying _shit_. 

"Oh, that reminds me! You guys never said what we were doing!"

"We'll tell you when we get to Stark Tower, Herkie." said Demetria "If we ever make it, that is."

"Oh for the love of-come on! Let it go before I kill you!"

"Be nice, Donna." Delilah admonished, before giving Demetria a teasing grin "And that goes for you too. Or else Donna really will kill you."

* * *

Tucked away in Stark Tower, an impatient Demetria eyed the door to the meeting room they had commandeered, before looking around the room. On her right was Delilah, who was laying face down on the table, with her black hair covering her face. Beside her was Herkie, who was tapping away at his phone. _Most likely looking for forums for new big brothers._ The though drew a giggle from the brunette, causing Ben to glance at her. With a small grin, she waved him back to his book. A small smile formed as she watched how quickly Ben got reabsorbed into his book. It slowly disappeared though as she noticed the empty seat on his left. A quick glance at her watch told her that it was now 2:23 and their meeting had been scheduled for _1:30_. And yet...

"Has anyone heard from Jason?" Herkie asked "Anyone? Anybody?

"Nope." Ben answered, distractedly.

A soft whine came from Demetria's right and the demigoddess couldn't help but chuckle at the sight that greeted her. Delilah laid face down on the table, her black hair covering her face. "I could literally be back to school shopping right now." 

"You know, we've got like two months, don't you?"

"One month and three weeks." Delilah and Ben said in unison. Demetria snickered lightly as Delilah shared a small smile with Ben, before turning to Herkie. With a pout, she continued, "Not to mention I have to make sure I have all the new textbooks. Plus, I still haven't decided whether or not I would bring a car with me. Roy thinks I should, but Conner thinks otherwise. Never mind the fact that I don't even have a car. Plus I still don't know how I want to decorate my room!" A small gasp escaped her as she sat upright, staring at a confused Demetria in horror "Our room! I meant to say our room! Not that I'm going to decorate the whole room, just my half! Though I could decorate the whole room if you wanted and-"

"Delilah! Breathe!" Demetria interrupted. She placed her hand atop of Delilah's smaller one and looked at the shorter girl fondly. "I know what you meant, Dee. It's okay; breathe." 

The smaller girl took a few deep breathes, before giving Demetria's hand a gentle squeeze that the demigoddess returned. "I'm sorry guys, I'm just... I'm just so _nervous_. This is my first time going to boarding school _and_ living outside of Star City and it's making my nerves go haywire. Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked to be going to school with you guys, but with everything going on in Star and with my dad..." 

Demetria squeezed her hand more, before pulling her chair closer to Delilah's. While it was no secret that villainy was still at large, it was also no secret that some areas had it harder than others; case in point: Star City. Despite the fact that Delilah's parents and brothers took care of the brunt work, it wasn't always enough. Hence, Delilah's dad running for mayor and sending her to stay with Demetria until classes started at Auradon Prep. So yeah, Demetria could see why Delilah was feeling overwhelmed.

"It's okay, Delilah. We'll be right here every step of the way. We're your best friends, after all." Ben said, as he came to stand behind Demetria. The brunette couldn't help the smile that worked it's way onto her face at how Ben reached out to Delilah. The two hadn't known each other long, nor did Herkie or Jason, but it warmed her heart to see how quickly they had taken Delilah under their wing. 

"Thanks guys. I just... really want this to go smoothly, ya know?" Demetria looked up at Ben hesitantly, only to find him looking at her with the same question burning in his eyes.

Would things go smoothly?

Realistically, Demetria knew the answer to be no. After all, Ben's idea wouldn't change the lives of the VKs, but the lives of everyone else too. But now, looking at Delilah listen to Herkie weave tales of Auradon Prep, it just hit her now how much of an impact it was really going to be. She was pulled out of her thoughts as Ben gently squeezed her shoulder, though by the distant look he wore, Demetria could only assume that he came to the same conclusion she did. 

Oh Gods, they were so out of their depths.

"Look who I found!" The teens looked up to find a silver android leading in a black haired boy around their age. "I'll give you a hint! His name rhymes with Bason Rodd!" 

"Bason Rodd? That's the best you can come up with Jocasta?" Jason whined.

"Sorry Jason; all the good nicknames go to good little boys and girls who show up on time." Jocasta mocked with a delicate shrug. Demetria snickered as Jason stared gobsmacked at Jocasta. "Now be a good boy and apologize to everyone for making them wait."

"Christ, you're worse than Alfie." grumbled Jason, as he slumped into his chair.

"Do I need to call Mr. Penny-"

" _No!_ No, for fuck's sake, Jo! Cut a guy some slack!" Jason gripped, before turning to the others "Sorry I'm so late. It was Dick's fault."

Herkie let out a dreamy sigh "It must be so nice to have older siblings to blame stuff on. I can't wait for the new baby to blame me for stuff."  

The other occupants in the room looked at each other in confusion, before Jason broke the silence. "First off, congrats, I guess? Secondly, what the actual fuck, man?"

"You wouldn't understand, Jay. You're not an only child."

"Yeah, but I _used_ to be." 

"Doesn't count."

"Herkie, I'm an only child and I have no clue what you're getting at." Ben pointed out. Demetria rolled her eyes at Herkie's forlorn look, before nodding at Ben to start. "Okay guys, here's the deal... there are kids on the Isle."

"I'm sorry- there are _children? On the Isle?!_ " Delilah demanded shrilly. 

The demigoddess nodded her head as she answered "There are children residing on the Isle of the Lost."

"No fucking way. How did this happen?" Jason asked "Was there like a-a malfunction in the barrier? Did it lose electricity or something?"

"It runs on electricity?"

"No; there was a minor disturbance with a barrier- a ripple of sorts- but it's main power source, which is Fairy Godmother's magic, wasn't the cause."

"Okay, back up a sec. I'm super confused." Delilah exclaimed, causing Jason to nod rapidly "There was a disturbance on the Isle, with the barrier, yet none of our parents knew about it? Wouldn't they be the first people your dad calls? Also how does Fairy Godmother's magic power the barrier? I thought your dad 'asked her to retire'?"

"The barrier is actually a spell that Fairy Godmother casted with the help of the sorcerer, Merlin, the Three Good Fairies, Doctor Fate, and Giovanni Zatara." Jocasta supplied.

Demetria stared at Jocasta in confusion before turning to Ben. "I... I actually have no clue who those last two are." he stammered. 

"Do you think they had anything to do with it."

"Negative." Jocasta denied. "Both retired at the end of the war."

"Well, that's a relief." Herkie breathed and Demetria could only nod in agreement "But... but we should get back to the task at hand. What do we do about the hostages?"

"Hostages?" Demetria repeated incredulously, exchanging a wild look with Ben "I mean, yeah the VKs are trapped, but they're not hostages."

Demetria watched as Delilah, Herkie and Jason all exchanged confused looks-hell, even Jocasta was shifting around uncertainly-and immediately wondered what she had said. After all, she wasn't wrong. It wasn't like the children had been-

Oh. 

_Oh._

"Guys..." Ben began slowly, most likely coming to the same conclusion she had "The children on the Isle aren't kidnapped. They were born there." He paused allowing his words to sink in "The VKs- the villain kids- are exactly that. _Kids of villains_." 

The room was silent once more, the tension so charged and thick that it practically suffocated Demetria. "I know what you guys are thinking, and no, Ben isn't shitting you." Demetria said in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Guys, I know this seems incredibly impossible, but it's true. And we have to do something."

"Okay, hang on a second." Delilah started, before biting her lip. "Just so I'm clear- you guys want to take the children of some of the most vilest, ruthless and rotten villains in the world, and bring them _here_? To Auradon?" 

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

Delilah pursed her lips as she looked between Ben and Demetria, "I'm not saying that, Ben. But I'm not saying it's a good idea either."

"Well, it's better than leaving them there, Delilah! I mean, as someone who grew up in a fucked up home, leaving them there won't do them any favors!"

"Jason, I know that I could never understand what you went through, but I can understand that these kids' situation is drastically different than yours." Delilah explained "Now I'm not trying to say that it's a competition or that they had it worse than you or vice versa, what I'm trying to say is that the villains are like god tier villains. Once again, not saying it's a competition, but- think of it like this. How did your parents raise you?"

"They didn't." Jason scoffed, before frowning slightly "I mean, Ma did her best when she was sober, but for the most part? It was all me."

"And you did what you had to to survive, right? To live?" Delilah asked, pausing at Jason's nod "And as awful as Gotham City is, and God is it awful, I would imagine that it's better than the Isle?" 

"Where are you going with this?" asked Demetria, with narrowed eyes.

"What I'm trying to point out is is that the Isle is filled with not just the worst of the worst, but with people who lack basic empathy, compassion and more importantly, humanity. And that unlike Goth or Star or anywhere else in Auradon, there was no type of goodness to be found." Delilah said slowly "There are heroes here- good people here- to stand up and say this is wrong. Jason, you may have done what you had to survive, but you also knew that there was good in the world, didn't you?"

"So what if I did?"

"It meant that you had faith in goodness and humanity. It meant you knew the difference between right and wrong, even at a young age. I don't think these kids get that." Delilah said "After all, if you were raised somewhere that was completely _devoid_ of goodness, how do you think _you_ would turn out?" 

"That doesn't mean that they still don't deserve a chance at something better." Ben said evenly "The Isle of the Lost is a prison and the children who live there are innocent."

"And if the shit I've done in Crime Alley isn't being held against me now, neither should the shit they've done."

" _I'm not saying that!_ Yes, I understand that the VKs are innocent by law, but how do we know that they're innocent from a _moral_ standpoint? Can you honestly look me in the eyes and say that you are wholly convinced that if we bring _every single VK_ over that they _won't_ be just like their parents? Can you honestly say that you're comfortable bringing over God knows how many children who can do God knows what and more than likely have no sense of guilt or basic humanity?!" Delilah demanded as she stood up. 

"They still deserve a chance, Delilah!" retorted Ben, as he rose as well "My father was turned into a beast because he was a spoiled and arrogant brat. The only reason the curse broke was due to my mother giving him a second chance! She knew he was a hot tempered ass, but she _still_ gave him the chance to be better! _Believed_ that he could be better!" 

"But your father wasn't evil, Ben! Foolish, self-centered and rude, but not evil!"

"We don't know if the VKs are completely evil!"

"There's a ninety five to five chance that _they are!_ " 

"You have no base for that!" 

"And you have no base that says otherwise!" Delilah groaned, before turning to Demetria "Demetria, you have to realize that I'm right!"

"Well, I-" 

"Agree with me, because she believes that the VKs deserve better!" Ben said as he glanced at Demetria "Don't you?"

Demetria bit her lip as she processed what Delilah said. The smaller girl _did_ make a good point. If the VKs had been raised by their parents' ideals and beliefs, then there was a strong possibility that their children were just as villainous. Ben had said that his father didn't believe the VKs to be their concern, Adam was right about one thing. As long as they were under the barrier, they weren't a threat. 

But Ben was right as well. The VKs had done nothing wrong. There was no reason for them to live on the Isle and everything they had done on it had been done due to the Isle's... lifestyle, for lack of a better word. Because, just like Jason, the VKs had been forced to adapt to the environment they were in. And it's not like they had anyone tell them what was right and wrong, either. 

Though that did mean that their moral compass would be skewered, if they even had one, just as Delilah said.

Though it was possible that they did, just as Ben thought. 

"Decisions, decisions." The teens let out various shouts of surprise, before turning to see a figure in the doorway. "You now, if you're going to have a secret club meeting, you should probably lock the door."

"Black Widow." Demetria greeted hesitantly, as she eyed the redhead in the door way. She exchanged a quick glance at Jocasta, who shrugged in bewilderment. Turning her attention back to the agent, Demetria gave her her best smile "What can we do for you?"

"Figured I give my two cents on this whole VK business. It is VK, right?" The five exchanged wary looks, before turning back to the smirking agent who sat between  Herkie and Jason "I think you're right."

"You do?" Ben and Delilah exclaimed, before glaring at the other "She's talking to me!" 

"I'm talking to both of you actually." The Widow corrected. The teens stared at Black Widow in surprise, causing the older woman's smirk shift into something a bit more genuine. "You're both right. Delilah makes a fair point. Being raised in an environment such as the Isle would make the VKs- am I using that right- a potential threat to Auradon."

"Hence why Adam or Fury aren't planning to do anything. Easiest way to handle an unknown variable that's already neutralized, is to leave it alone." Demetria stated.

Widow nodded her agreement. "I was going to say, better to let sleeping bears lie, but that works too." Widow smiled, though it quickly disappeared "Though Ben also makes a good point. Leaving them there won't do them any favors either. There's a possibility that you can help them."

Demetria cocked her head to the side as she observed the agent. Her father always said that Black Widow was the best spy he's ever meet, mainly because he could never figure out her true intentions. _" She wears masks overtop of her masks. It's amazingly, terrifying."_ her father had told her. And he was right, she could see how the agent appeared forthcoming and helpful, and Demetria could tell that it was genuine. Yet there was another mask that hid something else. 

Demetria frowned lightly at the look Widow wore; it was too... _open_. Her father said that one of the Black Widow's best skills was how easy it was for the agent to distance herself from her work. _"Being a spy is hard work, because sometimes... sometimes you see things or experience something, but you can't let it show it really affected you."_ Steve had once said  _"Sometimes you have to be cold and detached. And that's not always easy, honey"._ "Why are you trying to help us?" the demigoddess asked, capturing everyone's attention. 

"You said it yourself, that Delilah makes a good point, and that in itself should be more than enough reason for you to be against Ben's idea." the brunette pointed out "After all, spies are supposed to avoid risks, not take them." Demetria cocked her head to the side, as she assessed the elder woman "Unless, you're really invested."

"I am actually." Demetria eyebrows knit in confusion, as the agent sat with a pensive look on her face. "I... I have a specific skill set. One that should take years to cultivate- and it did-I just had an... early start. I suppose in a way, I was like the kids you want to help, but worse. Extremely worse." 

The demigoddess couldn't help but gape at what she was hearing. It seemed so surreal that Black Widow, the Black Widow, was being vulnerable with a bunch of teenagers she barely knew. That the woman that her father swore to hell and back was always on the defense was being so... unguarded. Exposed, even.

But as she met the Widow's green eyes and took in the small quirk of her lips, Demetria knew that the emotions she was displaying was genuine. "A S.H.I.E.L.D agent was sent after me- sent to neutralize me- but he made a different call." Widow said softly as she looked between Delilah and Ben was a smile "I won't lie and tell you that I was all rainbows and sunshine or that it was easy, because it wasn't easy. _I_ didn't make it easy for either one of us."

"But he kept trying, didn't he?"

"Pretty sure if he didn't, he would've lost his job." Widow teased, though her gaze was sharp when it turned to her and Ben "He had a lot riding on me, though not as much as you will." 

A scowl worked it's way onto her face as she realized how right the agent was. If Delilah was right and the whole thing blew up in their faces, not only was the kingdom at risk, but so was Ben's crown. And though she might've disagreed with making him king at such a young age, she couldn't deny that Ben took the job seriously. She thought to all the times that Ben had to cancel on her to shadow his dad or to when their outings turned into kingdom management lessons. All his hard work, his studying, his practice- all of it would be for nothing. 

Demetria glanced at Ben in question, only to find him looking more resolute than he had before. He sat upright, with back straight and shoulders back the way Cogsworth had drilled into him over and over. His jaw was set and his lips were pressed together tightly, but when he turned his eyes to her, her breath got caught in her throat.

Because his eyes were alight with determination. Those light green orbs held no confusion or hesitance whatsoever. There was nothing but fierce, unrelenting tenacity. In that moment, without saying a word, she knew that Ben was ready to risk it all just for these unfairly prosecuted children, whether they be good or bad.

And Demetria wasn't already in love with him before, she would've fallen for him now.

"I'm willing to take that risk." Ben said firmly, before glancing at Delilah "I know you make a good point, Delilah, and with all the unknown variables, the cons outweigh the pros."

"But you're right too." Delilah sighed, a tired smile on her face. Demetria reached out and squeezed her hand, making Delilah's smile grow a bit wider "We can't just turn our backs on them. It isn't fair to them."

"So, it's settled? We're doing this?"

"I think so, Herkie." Demetria said, before frowning lightly "So, how do we do this? I mean, we can't just take them all off the Isle, can we? Cause I feel like the Council will accuse us of kidnapping. And uh, do we even know how many kids are there? And how old they are?" 

Ben smiled gratefully at her, before turning to Widow. "Do you think you can find someone to help us with the legality of it all? I don't want to risk my parents finding out just yet."

"Give me a few days to make some calls." she answered "What's our time frame?"

"Before the school year starts." Ben said, surprising everyone, including Demetria "I have to make an official proclamation, before I become king. And it can go completely uncontested, so long as my dad approves it."

"You think you can get him to say yes?" Jason asked hesitantly "I mean, he's already made his stance pretty clear."

"He can do it." Demetria said. "If anyone can make him see reason, it's Benji."

The blinding smile Ben gave her made her heart swell and she smiled back just as sweetly. This would work- they would make it work. The children of the Isle would have justice or else. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are appreciated and keeps my muse feed


	3. It's a little complicated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woo!! new chapter!!!

"Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I really appreciate it." Ben said. A sheepish smile worked it's way onto his face at the raised eyebrow Black Widow gave him.

The Widow clicked her tongue though he couldn't determine if it was in annoyance or indifference, causing his smile to drop slightly. The last thing he wanted to do was offend the agent, especially since she was going out of her way to help him. "Not that I thought that you wouldn't get back to me at all or anything! You know, sometimes people will say that they need a few days and end up taking a week or something." he explained quickly "Not that there's anything wrong with that either! People get busy and have others things to attend to. I'm sure you know all about that- you strike me as a very busy woman. What with your S.H.I.E.L.D work and helping me with Isle children-did I thank you for that? Cause I-"

"You ramble a lot." He felt his cheek flush in embarrassment, before apologizing quickly. He watched nervously as Black Widow tapped her fingers against her crossed arms, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "Most political figure heads I met aren't as nervous as you are." she said, before giving him a rueful look "Well, at least not the innocent ones."

"That's… disconcerting." 

"Don't worry about that." Widow said with a shark like grin "I'll do all the dirty work and gift wrap for you."

"I didn't think you were supposed to be so honest with me."

She hummed lightly, her grin never faltering. "Probably not. But we're working together now."

Ben nodded slightly, looking at Black Widow out of the corner of his eyes. He had to admit, he wasn't sure what to make of the agent beside him. He didn't think she was being dishonest with them, but Widow was a talented agent-the best of the best. But did that really make her trustworthy? Sure, she was willing to help him out with the VKs and even shared some of her history with them, but what did he really know about her aside from that? He didn't even know how to contact her or when he would next expect her- then again, she had waltzed into his castle, with a smirk and an offhanded comment about security. He knew she had a troubled past, but wasn't letting it define her. But other than the basics, he knew next to nothing about her.

Wait-

"I don't know your name." mumbled Ben, before looking up in distress "You're helping me out and I don't even know your name." 

"And that matters because?"

"Because you said we're working together? And it's polite and friendly?"

Ben stared in bewilderment as Widow stared back in confusion. "I'm not expecting us to be best friends or anything- not that I'm opposed to having you as a friend! You seem awesome-but it's like you said. We're working together now. We should be able to trust each other a little, right?" 

It was Ben's turn to look confused, as the Widow stared at him blankly. He didn't think he asked for something unreasonable or outrageous. She might have been a secret agent, but so was Demetria's dad and he knew just about everything about him. But then again Demetria did say that Widow was supposed to be distant and calculating. And yet, her she was, helping out a bunch of kids she never meet because she knew what they were going through. 

He looked down at his hands briefly, wondering if he had overstepped. Just because Widow had said that they were working together didn't mean that she wanted to be friends. If anything she probably thought of him as a colleague. He pursed his lips as he twisted his signet ring, trying to figure out how to salvage the situation, when the door flew open. 

"What the-" The prince cut off with a small squeak as the door opened to reveal the Hulk entering the room, a family size bag of Doritos in one hand. 

Hulk let out a soft grunt before looking to Widow. "What his deal?"

"It may have something to do with your ugly mug." A voice answered. Ben blinked in surprise as a young woman came around the green giant, with a grin on her face. The prince looked between the two, taking in the matching green skin and green hair, before connecting the dots. "I'm Jennifer Walters."

Shaking himself slightly, Ben pulled himself together as he stood, offering Jennifer a kind smile and his hand. "My name's Ben. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Walters." Ben shook her hand, before turning to Hulk and offering his hand as well "And you as well, Mr Hulk."

That got him a snort of laughter from the taller Hulk. "Hulk no mister!" he proclaimed, as he dropped a few Doritos into Ben's hand and then turned his gaze to Jennifer "And Jen no lady!"

"Jen is too a lady!" protested Jennifer "Dammit! I mean, _I'm_ a lady!" 

Ben bit back a laugh as Jen glared at a laughing Hulk, choosing to eat the Doritos. "I'm also a lawyer. Something that Widow tells me you're in need of." She added, a small frown on her face "Though I would've thought the future king had plenty of lawyers at his disposal."

"I do, but that would require my dad and for this I need to get everything settled _before_ then." Ben explained hesitantly. He gestured for Jennifer to take the seat across from him, before realizing that he hadn't asked if Hulk was staying or not. The question was on the tip of his tongue, when the giant sat on the floor with a thump, laying his arms and bag of Doritos on the table beside Jennifer. 

"Eloquent as ever, big guy." Widow drawled. Ben watched in astonishment as Hulk threw a Dorito at her, which she caught in her mouth. 

"Okay then." Ben said eloquently.

"A bunch of weirdos, am I right?" 

Without thinking he nodded, before clearing his throat and ignoring Hulk's laugh. "Uh, right! Ms. Walters-"

"Call me Jen."

"Jen, got it. The reason why I asked for Widow to reach out to you is because I need your help working around a... _technicality_ regarding the Isle of the Lost." At Jen and Hulk's shocked look, he quickly explained that the villains had children on the Isle and how he wanted to bring them to Auradon. "The Isle is only intended to hold the villains of the Great War and no one else. _Especially not children_." 

"Wow... that's just-that's- wow. I don't even know where to start." 

"Hulk do. Hulk mad." 

"Me too, Hulk. That's why I'm planning on doing something about it." Ben said patting the giant's arm "Before I become king, I get to make one proclamation that can go completely uncontested by the Council."

"And you plan to use it for the children of the Isle."

"VKs." Ben and Widow said in unison. The prince looked at the agent in surprise, only to get a wink in response as she continued "We're calling them VKs."

"Catchy." Jen murmured, before humming to herself. "So, you need my help to make sure the proclamation doesn't have any loopholes, I'm guessing?"

Ben nodded. "I need to make sure that nothing-and I mean nothing- can hinder them from coming to Auradon." he said "They deserve to live a better life. These children are innocent." 

"Here, Jen." Widow tapped at a tablet that Ben couldn't recall seeing earlier, before passing it to Jen "I pulled some info about the Isle that I thought might be useful."

_Where'd she get that from,_ Ben thought as he glanced over Widow's shoulder. At the innocent smile she sent his way, he decided he was better off not knowing.He waited patiently as Jen went through the info Widow sent her, trying not to read into the neutral look she wore. He has to remind himself that Widow believed that Jen could help them. All he had to do was relax and be patient. Everything would be fine. 

He startled in his seat when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He excused himself quickly as he pulled out his phone, finding a text from Audrey. 

From Auds:

_**Hey Benny Bear! I was wondering if you had time to have lunch with me today? There's something I wanted to talk to you about.** _

_**Xoxo, Audrey** _

He checked the time with a thoughtful look. It was still pretty early in the day, but Ben couldn't squash the feeling that the meeting wouldn't go smoothly. Jen had yet to make a comment and- _by the Gods, she's frowning now. Why is she frowning_ \- was still going through the material in front of her. He didn't know how much Widow had sent, but he couldn't help but think that if there was good news she would've said something by now.

Right?

He twisted his signet ring nervously, only stopping when Widow placed her hand over his. Ben looked up to find her looking back at him calmly, a small quirk to her lips. "Relax." Widow instructed, then nodded at his phone "You should probably text your girlfriend back. I doubt Demetria likes to be kept waiting."

"She's so impatient, you would not-" Ben cut himself with a strangle groan, before looking at a bemused Widow "I'm not texting my girlfriend! I mean, I am-Audrey! Audrey's my girlfriend, not Demetria. Demetria is just my friend... that's a girl. A girlfriend, but not a _girlfriend_."

"Ben sound dumb."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence." grumbled Ben, though he accepted the Doritos Hulk offered, before tying a response to Audrey and ignoring Widow's gaze. 

To Auds:

**_Hey Auds! I would love to get lunch with you. I'm in a meeting right now, so it may end up being a late lunch or early dinner, if that's okay with you?_ **

_**Love, Ben** _

He looked up to find Widow staring at him, making him frown lightly. He glanced over at Jen- who was  _still. reading-_ and then at Hulk who was munching away, then back at Widow, who was still staring intently at him. He was about to ask her what she was thinking, when Jen _finally_ looked up from the tablet. 

"Okay, I've got... news."

"News?" Ben and Widow echoed back to her, while Hulk made a noise in the back of his throat. "News mean bad."

Ben felt his stomach drop as Jen didn't automatically correct Hulk, instead choosing to wave her hands around in what Ben assumed was frustration. "It's not... it' not _completely_ bad. There's some good news." she said, giving Ben a weak smile "But with the info you provided, it might take more time than you wanted."

"What? Why?"

"Ben, there's no official record or census on how many VKs there are." Jen said slowly "We don't know which villains have kids or how old they are. There's also the matter of what we would do with them if they came over. Where would they live? Who would be responsible for them? Provide for them?" She steepled her hands and rested her chin on them "Then there's this."

Jen pulled the tablet in front of her, before reading from it " _'And let it be known, that the Villains of the Great War will reside on the Isle of the Lost for the rest of their days. It is on the Isle of the Lost that the Villains will live, away from the people of the United States of Auradon, where they can no longer harm others.'_ " Jen paused before looking back at the others "Notice the language here. Throughout the entirety of this thing not once is the Isle ever referred to as a prison."

"Point?"

"The point, Hulk, is that the Isle isn't referred to as a prison, because it isn't _classified_ as one." Jen admitted, shocking the others "Think about. It says that the Villains will _reside_ on the Isle for the _rest of their days_. There's no sentence, no wardens, no cells or anything else that makes up a usual prison."

"But-but the Isle holds all the Villains of the Great War! They were banished to the Isle-" Ben cut himself off with a groan as he realized what he just said. The villains had been banished-exiled- from Auradon. Despite the fact that it had been an unanimous decision to send the villains to the Isle, it had technically not been court hearing. The council had voted, and since the villains were guilty of heinous crimes with evidence stacked against them- not that it mattered. They hadn't even denied their crimes; some had all but _bragged_ \- a trial was forgone and they had been banished instead. 

By the Gods, he fucking hated politics.  _And now I'm going to spend the rest of my life knee deep in it,_ Ben thought sourly, before shaking his head.  _But I'm going to make a difference. For **everyone**. _

"So the Isle is, what? An independent country or something?" 

"Yes and no." Jen frowned "They sort of follow the same guidelines as Olympus or Camelot. They're under Auradon's banner, comply to our magic ban and recognize the Ben's family as their rulers, but that's it."

Ben put his face in his hands with a groan, as he absorbed the info Jen had just dumped on him. Just when he thought he knew everything about his country, something new popped up and pulled the rug out from under him.  _Is it always going to be like this,_ he thought. Part of him wished Demetria was present; she would know what to say, or at the very least know how to calm his nerves.

_No,_ he thought vehemently.  _I'm going to king in less than two months. Demetria might not always be there to reassure me or help me out. I have to do this myself._ With that thought in mind, Ben gave himself a quick shake and looked at the facts.

The Isle was not a prison, not legally at least. Meaning that, legally speaking, the VKs were legal citizens of the Isle. He had no record or basis to go off of to determine how many kids there were. His only reassurance that they were actual children is Widow's word. He also had no official plan for the VKs after they left the Isle and he had two months to figure it out.  _Come on, Ben. You've done school projects in less time and gotten-_

A startled laugh escaped him as the pieces clicked together. "Ben sound crazy."

"Ben does sound crazy." Widow agreed, as she placed her hand on Ben's shoulder "What're you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I just found away around the whole thing." he grinned "The Villains have been banished- required- to live out the rest of their lives on the Isle. Their children, on the other hand, haven't been banished." He looked up at Jen to double check and grinned when she nodded "As a matter of fact, since the VKs aren't banished and are technically legal citizens of the Isle, there's no reason that they can't transfer to Auradon Prep?"

Ben fought down his laughter as the others took in what he had said, finally laughing when Hulk broke out into a hearty chuckle. "Ben, you-I can't believe it!" Jen gasped, a smile growing on his face "That could work! The VKs get to come to Auradon, they have a place to stay, and a case could be made for them to be considered wards of the State."

"Making me legally responsible for them." Ben casted Widow an questioning look at her soft hum, but looked away when she waved him off. 

"Exactly! And we wouldn't even be cutting through any red tape! We're literally just... just offering these kids a scholarship or something!" laughed Jen, though it soon quieted down "But we still don't know how many kids there are. Or where to start."

"Maybe not." Ben exchanged confused looks with Jen and Hulk, as Widow took the tablet back, before passing it to Ben. 

The prince tilted his head to the side, as he looked at the screen that had a picture of four teens. There were two boys and a girl between them, the trio facing a small figure dressed in purple. The tallest boy had long dark hair and wore a short sleeved jacket, with a snake insignia stitched onto the sleeve.  _No, that's not a snake-a cobra,_ Ben thought.  _This must be Jafar's son._ Or at least, the prince thought so. Jafar was the only villain that identified with a cobra. Ben's eyes move to the next boy, who had short white hair and was dressed in white, black and red.  _The son of Cruella DeVille_. The girl between them had blue hair, that matched her jacket. He couldn't place her at first, until his eyes fell to the purse she carried. There in the middle was a golden heart with a knife plunged through it. _The Evil Queen's daughter_. He looked to the last figure and frowned slightly. He couldn't see the figure's face, but from the purple hair and dragon insignia on the back of her jacket, Ben assumed it was the child of Maleficent.  _Oh well, I'll meet them soon enough,_ he thought with a grin.

"Well, looks like we've got out transfer students."

* * *

Ben couldn't help but feel rather proud of himself. With Jen and Widow's help-and snacks from Hulk- Ben had been able to hammer out all the details. They had their plan and their kids; well, they had their first batch. After speaking with Widow, it had been agreed that it would most likely be best to start with four kids. That way it would be easier for Ben and the others to figure it out and not be overwhelmed. 

Well, extremely overwhelmed. 

But it was a start- a good start-and it would only get better from there. Looking out of the car window, Ben couldn't help but grin.  _This might just work._ "Someone's feeling pleased with himself."

"Just a bit." Ben looked over to Widow with a bright grin, that only grew as she shook her head. "What is it?"

Widow glanced at him briefly, before turning to look out the windshield with a small hum. The prince reclined in his seat as he waited for the agent to speak. If he had learned anything about Widow today, it was that she wasn't as closed off she appeared. She was funny and playful, with a secret soft side that Ben thought she sucked at hiding. He raised an eyebrow when she turned back at him and he grinned at the small smile he got. 

"You're really going to risk it all for these four, huh?" 

"I thought I made that obvious the other day?"

"You did. It's just..." she trailed off, looking at him out of the corner of her eye with a gentle look. It was the most gentle he'd ever seen her, and he felt both awed and honored that he was the one witnessing it. "You really want to do this. You're not hesitant or scared, at all?"

"No, I'm not." he said, surprising himself with his honesty "I'll admit I'm a bit nervous, but I'm not scared."

Ben pursed his lips as he looked out the windshield. He was going to be king-  _the_ king- and that meant that he had to think of the wellbeing of all of his citizens. He had to do what was right; even if it meant going against his dad.  _At least mom will be on my side_ , he thought hopefully. "You know, in all honesty, it never occurred to me to be scared or anything. I probably should be, at least a little. You and Delilah made good points, about how the VKs are likely to be a-a... a product of their environment. But I'm not scared." he said, then shrugged with a lazy grin "Demetria always said I lack self-preservation skills."

The prince couldn't help but stare a bit as Widow began to laugh, before joining her. "You are a real piece of work. All of you are." Widow snorted as she pulled the car to a stop. "I look forward to watching your reign."

"Thanks." he said, as he began to get out the car. He paused, turning back to Widow with a sweet smile "Thank you for everything. I really appreciate it, Widow." 

The answering smile he got was worth more than anything she could've said. He hopped out the car and began to run up the steps, when he heard the car horn. Turning around, he ran back wondering if he forgot anything. He met Widow's grin with a bemused one, that slowly grew as she said "Natasha Romanoff." 

"Natasha Romanoff?"

"It's what I liked to be called." Ben let out a small disbelieving laugh, but nodded at Widow.

No, at _Natasha_.

"Okay then. Natasha it is."


	4. A million dreams are keeping me awake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one of these days, i won't write such long ass chapters. this is apparently not that day.

Ben couldn't help the smile that worked it's way onto his face as he watched his parents leave. He had told his parents about his idea. They had actually agreed. Sure, his father had almost blew a gasket, but he had stuck by his decision and had gotten his dad to agree.

He truly was excited about this; sure there was a very good chance that this wouldn't work out the way he thought it would, but he was going to have faith. He was doing this because the children of the Isle deserved a chance. A chance at a better life- _to be better_. They had gotten the short end of the stick simply due to how their parents had chosen to live their lives. And besides, who's to say that their parents didn't start off the same as them? Simply born into terrible conditions and no one willing to give them a chance. Ben wouldn't let it continue.

While he has a general idea of how he wanted this to go, it all depended on them. How would they reacted to their new surroundings and peers? Would they be grateful or resentful? Would they think Ben believed them to be a charity act? Would they assume the worse of him and his intentions?

Well, actually, Ben's pretty sure that he knew the answer to that last one and that it was yes.

"Why is it that every time I come over, you're looking out the window broodingly?" Ben startled and turned to find Demetria standing in his doorway with a bemused smile "Did something happen?"

"Technically yes-"

"What do you mean technically? Either something happened or it didn't, Benji."

"Then yes, something did happen. Something good!" he rushed to say when she started to frown "I told my parents about my idea for the VKs-and they said yes."

Demetria blinked in surprise before pulling Ben into a hug. The prince sighed as he hugged back, burying his face into her neck as she laughed. "So what's with the brooding? They said _yes_."

"I'm just worried." he groaned pulling away "What if the VKs hate it here? What if they don't find a place in Auradon? What if they don't make any new friends? What-"

"Benji, relax. Look, I get your concerns, but we can handle all that." she said gently "Take it from me, you're an expert at making people feel like they belong."

Ben smiled at the memory of a three year old Demetria coming into their pre-k class and how scared she had been. He also remembered how he had taken one look at her and decided that he wanted to be her best friend forever. _And look at us now_ , he thought as he ran his thumb across her cheek.

His smile grew dopey as she leaned into his palm and gave him a wide grin. "See? You're the best at making people feel at ease. Those VKs don't stand a chance against all this love and affection."

"Maleficent's daughter might disagree."

"I'm sorry- _who's daughter?!_ " Ben rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly at the astounded look Demetria gave him.

"Right; so I might've already picked the VKs. And they might included the children of Maleficent, Cruella DeVille, Jafar and the Evil Queen."

Demetria stared back at Ben with wide eyes, before throwing her head back with a loud laugh. " _Great Rhea, Benji!_ You really are going all in on this."

"I have to."

"True." she laughed briefly, then frowned slightly "Though I'm curious-how did you think of those four?"

"It was during my meeting with-"At her confused look, Ben cut himself off and explained his impromptu meeting. He watched as Demetria hummed lightly, leveling him with a blank look. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was going to, but then I had to met up with Audrey-"

"Audrey?" she echoed and Ben saw the corner of her lip twitch "Of course. Always the dedicated boyfriend."

"Ex." he blurted out, surprising both of them. Ben rubbed the back of his neck, as he sat on the edge of his bed. "Audrey broke up with me yesterday."

"What? But you guys were so happy! What happened?" The prince sighed softly as he recalled the conversation.

* * *

_"I can't believe you had this picnic thrown together so quickly."_

_"I aim to please." Ben had said with a flourish, making the princess laugh, though he couldn't help but notice it didn't reach her eyes "Is everything okay, Audrey? You seem upset."_

_"I'm not upset, per se."_

_"But something is_ _bothering you." Ben had waited as Audrey fiddled with the edge of her skirt, a thoughtful look on her face. She had frowned slightly, but before Ben could comment, it had been replaced by a small smile "Audrey, you know that you can tell me anything, right? Whatever it is, I'm here for you. And I always will be."_

_"Oh Benny bear." she had sighed as she had thrown her arms around him. He had hugged her tightly, running his fingers through her hair. "You know, it's moments like this that I forget that you're my fake boyfriend and don't love me."_

_Ben had pulled away sharply, looking down at Audrey in confusion. "But I_ _do_ _love you, Audrey,  fake boyfriend or not." he had protested "Now what's going on?"_

_"I… I can't do this anymore, Ben. Faking dating you, I mean." she had said "It's too much."_

_"Too much?" Ben had repeated slowly, a nervous knot forming in his stomach "Audrey, you- do you love me? Like actually love me?"_

_A small laugh had escaped her that had Ben sagging in relief. "Oh heaven's no!" Audrey had giggled "I mean, I do love you, but just as friends." The princess had shook her head as her giggles died down, then gave Ben a rueful look "I know it was my idea in the first place, but I'm starting to regret it now."_

_"Did something happen?  I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"_

_"No, of course not! You're the best fake boyfriend a girl could ask for. And your next girlfriend- your real girlfriend- is in for a treat, whoever she may be." Audrey had teased, with a knowing grin, but it had slowly slipped away "And you didn't do anything wrong- on the contrary, you did everything right. Too right."_

_At his confused look, Audrey had rolled her eyes. "Ben, you're going to become king soon. And as your  'steady girlfriend' it only makes sense that I would become your queen." she had explained frowning "Grammy's convinced that we'll be married before Christmas and that I'll be crowned by the New Year."_

_"Oh."_

_"Understatement much?"_

_"Cut me some slack! You practically just told me that you're grandma's planning our wedding. And your coronation." he had argued before paling "What does your dad think?"_

_"Daddy doesn't mind either way, as long as I'm happy. Same goes for mommy." she had snorted "It's Grammy who's really fixated on this."_

_"I always knew she liked us together, but I didn't realize how much."_

_"Neither did I. She's so proud of me."_

_"She's always been proud of you."_

_"I know, but those have been for good reasons- honest reasons. I can't lie to her anymore." Audrey had said, turning to Ben with a sad smile "So, what do you say? Wanna break up?"_

* * *

"So, let's me get this straight. You and Audrey have been fake dating for months? _And you didn't tell me?!_ " Ben winced at the betrayed look on Demetria's face and hated that he was the one to put it there. "Not letting me in on your meeting with Widow is one thing, but lying to me is another thing entirely, Benjamin."

_Oh fuck_ , Ben thought as she began to stalk out and he scrambled to follow her. "Demetria, wait! Demetria- Demi, _please!_ I can explain!"

"Oh this should be good." she muttered, pausing to look at him. "I can't wait to hear how you could possibly justify _lying to me_."

"I didn't mean to lie to you, etoile, honest. Audrey and I really did try dating at first, but it just didn't work out. And instead of breaking up, we decided to stay together so it would be easier."

"Easier? For who?"

"For Audrey." At the pinched look he received, he quickly continued "Audrey's grandma kept trying to set her up with suitors and Audrey was too afraid to stop her."

"And what did you get out of this?"

"Aside from the satisfaction of helping out a friend?" he tried and received a glare in return "Like I said, this was mainly to ward off Audrey's grandma. And I guess it helped people to not ask me if I was searching for a queen, which I'm not." And it was true, he hadn't been looking for a queen and he wasn't going to look for one now. 

Mainly because the queen he wanted was right in front of him and pissed off.

"And you weren't…" she trailed off uneasily, making Ben try and step towards her, only to frown when she held up her hand to stop him "And was there anyone _you_ were warding off? Anyone's heart you were hoping to avoid breaking?"

"None that I know of." Ben frowned as Demetria clicked her tongue at him and looked away in frustration. "Is there someone? That likes me I mean."

Demetria snapped her head to Ben quickly, causing the prince's frown to deepen. He meant what he said; he truly didn't believe anyone had a crush on him. And even if someone did, it wasn't the someone he wanted.

_I think._

Ben watched as Demetria chewed on her bottom lip, looking at everything but him and wondered if maybe, just maybe… He stopped that train of thought, knowing fully well that if Demetria had a crush on him, that she would've told him. His best friend was many things, but reserved wasn't one them, especially not with him. No, if Demetria had a crush on him, she would've said something by now. There's was no reason not to.

_Except for the fact that you had a girlfriend,_  a small voice reminded him that sounded eerily like Jason _. A girlfriend that she thought you were in love with._

The prince swallowed hard as he thought that maybe- just maybe- Demetria did have a crush on him. That maybe the feelings he had for her would be returned. That maybe Demetria loved him like he loved her and that they would be live out the rest of their lives together, happily in love.

He took a deep breath as he stepped towards her, heart catching at the gentle, yet nervous look in her eyes. Ben slowly cupped her face with one hand and smiled as the nervousness melted away into contentment. Taking the change as a good sign, he stepped closer until he could bump their noses together, making her giggle.

"That's better, mon etoile." he murmured. He pulled back slightly to apologize, but the words died on his lips as their eyes meet. Instead, he stared into her brown eyes that always brought him comfort and warmth. It was those same eyes that were able to read Ben like a book. It was those same eyes that drew him in as a child and pulled him deeper and deeper as he grew up. "Demi, I-"

The rest of Ben's sentence died on his lips as his bedroom door flew open, allowing Delilah, Jason and Herkie to enter. The trio stared in confusion at Ben and Demetria, who stared back like a deer in headlights.

"I thought you were grabbing Ben so we could go out?" Jason asked slowly.

"I am!"

"Doesn't look like it." the Gothamite pointed out, as his confusion turned into amusement. "Looks like we interrupted something… _intimate_."

"Don't be ridiculous, Jason! We were just talking! Right, Ben?"

Demetria stepped away from Ben with a hysterical laugh that soon died once she caught sight of his face. He looked as embarrassed as she felt, but there was a hint of hurt in his eyes. Demetria blinked at the look, but before she could comment, it was replaced with a tight smile that he usually saved for uncomfortable situations.

"Well if you're not gonna cozy up with Ben, I will!" Jason exclaimed. The prince let out a startled laugh as Jason pulled him close and guided him out of the room. "Come on guys! We've got a carnival to enjoy!"

"Why do I feel like I messed up?" Demetria whispered.

"Because you refuse to see what's right in front of you." said Delilah causing Demetria to groan.

Meanwhile, Ben and Jason were farther down the hall, talking quietly. "While I'm sure whatever happened before we came and interrupted was juicy, I gotta ask about Audrey. Cause if you're shooting your shot before breaking up with her, I'll punch for both of them."

Ben shook his head. "Audrey broke up with me yesterday. We were also fake dating."

"Okay first off: damn! Did not know that you were an actor and a damn good one too! Second: I'm proud of you for making a move! Sorry we interrupted it."

"Don't worry about it. If anything you guys saved me from making an idiot of myself."

"No, it isn't." Jason disagreed, then groaned in annoyance at Ben's disbelieving look. "Dude, I know that you've known Demetria longer, but you're also in love with her and you're terrified that she doesn't feel the same way."

"Tell me something I don't already know, Jase."

"See that's the thing- I can't. I can't tell you what you don't know, because you already do know. You already know that you and Demetria are meant to be. You already know that you're not interested in anyone else- that's why you didn't catch feelings for Audrey during the fake dating thing. You also already know that Demetria has never- and I mean never- shown interest in anyone the way she does you."

"But what if she does? She's a part goddess, part Amazon and all around fantastic person. Why would she settle for me when she could have-"

"The future king of Auradon, maybe? Oh wait, that's you. Hmm, how about her best friend since forever, who knows her better than anyone else perhaps? Nope, that's also you. Oh I know! Maybe she should find someone that she connects with and has fun with and respects her and-"

"Okay, I get it, Jase! I check a lot of boxes, but that doesn't mean that Demetria returns my feelings. I mean, you heard what she said!"

"She only said that cause I put her on the spot." Jason pulled the prince to a stop as they reached the foyer. The two turned to look briefly at Demetria who was speaking with Delilah and Herkie, then turned back to each other. "Ben listen. You're my best friend, but Demetria is practically my sister- my favorite sister. I wouldn't be pushing so hard for you two to get together if I thought that you weren't right for each other."

Jason then gave Ben a smirk as he whispered in the prince's ear, "Not to mention that we talk about crushes and whatnot." Ben looked at Jason with wide eyes and Jason simply shrugged, smirk widening.

"Okay, who's ready to go!" Delilah exclaimed as the group reconvened. Ben gave Demetria a timid smile, before frowning at the sight of Herkie. The son of Hercules was staring off into the distance, which wasn't too unusual. What was unusual was the uneasy gleam in his eyes and how he kept shifting around every few seconds.

"Everything okay, Herkie?" he asked. The demigod gave a small hum as he continued to stare out of the window, making his friends worry. "Herkie? Herkie, you with us?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah sure. Let's go."

"Not with you acting like a weirdo." scoffed Demetria "What's going on?"

Herkie hesitated, trying to figure out how to explain his predicament to his friends without sounding like a madman. "I… I haven't been sleeping well."

"Nightmares?"

"I wish." he snorted as he looked up at his friends with a weak smile "I keep seeing these… flashes, I guess? Usually they come and go and I don't remember. But this one- there's this... _this thing_. Like a swirling blue vortex opening up in front of us and something pops out."

The group looked at Herkie in confusion, aside from Demetria who was staring at her cousin in hesitation. "What else happens?" Demetria asked, stomach twisting as Herkie shook his head "Herkie, you need to tell me right now what that dream entailed."

Just as the demigod began to speak, a crackle sounded throughout the foyer and the group looked up as a blue vortex opened above their heads. The group stared in horror as something fell out of the vortex with a sickening crack.

Just as Herkie predicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, kudos and comments are appreciated and welcome


	5. Two worlds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two chapters in one day?! sure it's been almost three months since i lasted updated, but i updated with two chapters!!

_Holy Shit._

The teens gaped as the vortex closed, leaving behind the still form on the foyer floor. After a few moments of silence, Delilah, Demetria, Jason and Ben turned to look at Herkie in shook, while the demigod just stared back with a wary smile.

"I have so many questions right now, but the main one is: is it dead?"

_"Oh my God, Jason!"_

"What?! It's a legitimate question, Delilah!"

Demetria walked over slowly, with Jason following close behind gesturing for Herkie to stay back with Ben and Delilah. Demetria bent down near the form with Jason beside her. "What're we looking at?"

She gently reached out and pushed the figure onto their side, revealing a young person probably the same age as her. There were two horns protruding from his hairline that were a pale, icy blue as was the rest of his skin. There was a nasty looking bruise at his temple that already appeared to be swelling.

"This is… nothing that I'm familiar with."

Jason swore under his breath as he pointed at how the creature's arm was wrapped around their middle. "It looks they're bleeding out. Pretty heavy too." The teen reached out to properly see, when the creature grasped his arm causing him to shout in alarm.

"Jason!" Demetria grabbed their arm and pulled forcing them to let go of Jason. The demigoddess glanced at Jason, only to find his jacket smoking. She looked back at the struggling form then to her hand which was getting colder and colder the longer she held on. "You need to stop. Now."

Herkie pulled Jason away and over to Delilah to help him out of his jacket, while Ben rook his place by Demetria's side. The prince paused at the blood red eyes that stared back at him. Ben took in the pain and wariness that were in their eyes and how they were torn between freeing themselves from Demetria's grip and giving into exhaustion.

"It's okay- we don't want to hurt you. We just want to help."

"I find that hard to believe."

"I can see why you wouldn't want to trust us, but you're really hurt."

"It's just a scratch."

"You're bleeding all over my floor." Ben deadpanned before sighing "I give you my word as future king of Auradon that we just want to help you."

At Ben's promise, they stilled suddenly causing Ben and Demetria exchange wary looks. "Auradon? As in Midgard?"

"Midgard?" Demetria and Ben repeated, before Demetria's eyes widened in realization. "You're not from here."

"And I'm guessing you must not be either, seeing as how you're hand hasn't frozen off. Well, not completely." he responded, drawing attention to Demetria's now blue hand.

" _Shit!_ "

"Stole the words right out of my mouth, Benji."

The group froze once more at the sound of voices coming from a nearby hallway. "Double shit." the prince swore, before turning to Demetria "My parents will freak if they find out about this. Also I have no idea how to get the blood out."

"Use a mix of bleach and water to pour on the stain, then wipe it up with some towels and then use your standard cleaning product with like a sponge or something. Then you'll wanna rinse it out. Also, you might need to get a toothbrush for the grout, though if you do you'll definitely wanna use a sulfamic acid. Or a phosphoric acid!"

The group stared at Jason in bewilderment, except for Demetria who leveled Jason with a pointed look. "It's a Gotham thing?" As the others nodded, Jason smirked cockily at Demetria, who facepalmed. "Alright Demetria, what's the plan?"

"We've got to get our new friend here out from the open and a blood spill cleaned in less than a minute. Which is virtually-" Demetria cut herself off as a blur of green and golden blinded her. She closed her eyes as a tingling sensation ran through her body, before it ceased. Reopening her eyes, she blinks suddenly finding herself in one of the guest bedrooms. Demetria turned to look at her friends, who looked just as confused as she did, then looked back at their 'guest'. "That works?"

"What about the blood?" Delilah asked, then took a hesitant step back as his hands began to glow green. "Um, what're they doing? What's that thing with their hand?"

"It seemed only fitting that I clean up the mess I made since you all are determined to take care of me." they drawled, as the glowing stopped.

"You have magic?" Demetria asked as she scooped them up and placed them on the bed "You are _definitely_ not from around here."

"Nor are you. Most Midgardians would not be able to lift me so easily nor withstand my… _less than desirable_ temperature."

"Well, you're correct. I'm part Olympian." she paused as they began to laugh and pulled back to fix them with a questioning look.

"I apologize; I mean no offense. I, Loki of Asgard, simply find it funny that I traded in the golden city of Asgard for the Olympus' heavenly threshold."

Demetria blinked once, then twice and then a third time. "You… are from _Asgard_? How in Rhea's name did you end up _here_?"

"Also what the fuck are you guys talking about? Because it sounds like you're saying ass guard, like a guard for your ass and I know that can't be right." Jason added while Delilah nodded in agreement.

"Unfortunately that is exactly how it pronounced. " Loki explained with a rueful smile "Asgard is home to the Aesir, or Asgardians if you prefer, similar to your Olympus."

"So Asgardians are gods too? Like there's more than one group or set or whatever?"

"Yeah, there's like… a lot of non-Olympian gods that exist."

Delilah and Jason looked between the other occupants in disbelief, until Jason threw his hands up in exasperation. "How the fuck did we not know this?! Also where the hell are they hiding?!"

"While I cannot speak for others, I do know that Asgard is part of the nine realms that are connected to Yggdrasil, the world tree."

"Yggdrasil is a cosmic cloud that resembles a tree and connects to the nine realms."

"The nine realms? There's nine other planets? Alongside the nine we already have?" demanded Delilah.

"I thought the nine realms were just separate galaxies than planets?" Ben asked.

"They are, little king. Just as your Midgard has it's own planets, as does Asgard and all the other nine realms."

"But how is that possible! I mean, I've been living with you and Herkie in Olympus for like weeks now! How could it have a separate galaxy if it lives in this galaxy?"

Demetria sucked in a breath as she exchanged hesitant looks with Ben, before frowning completely. "Benji, why don't you handle this one." she said, before joining Herkie on the windowsill.  "How you feeling, little cousin?"

"Like Aunt Athena and Uncle Ares sucker punched me at the same time."

"Ouch."

Herkie turned away from the window to look at Demetria with wide eyes. "I don't understand how this happened. I mean, why would I have powers like Uncle Apollo's!"

"Well you know what they say about puberty."

"Not really."

"Me neither." Demetria joked, though she quickly sobered as Herkie placed his head in his hands. "Look, I can honestly say without hesitation that nothing about our family makes sense. Like at all." Herkie snorted lightly as he looked up at his cousin with a small smile "But what I do know is that we're gonna get you through this, cause that's what we do."

"Does that promise come with a money back guarantee?"

"Oh please, if we did that our family would've been done with eons ago." she snorted as she brought him back over to the others. "Okay guys, where we at?"

"So apparently, you live at Mt. Olympus which is like a human proof version of the real Olympus, which resides in a pocket dimension at the top of Mt. Olympus. I got all that right?" Demetria, Herkie and Ben nodded at Delilah's description and the smaller girl threw her hands up in the air. "Why did you guys never say anything? Especially since I live with you."

"I'm sorry, Dee. I didn't think it mattered because you wouldn't be going to actual Olympus. After all, our family mainly hangs out on the mountain." Herkie explained. "On another note, how're you feeling, Loki?"

"Well my wound is healed up thanks to my magic, though I should probably rest before I use it again."

"Definitely for the best. You can rest here while we-"

"Ben? Ben honey, is that you?" the group exchanged startled looks at the sound of the door opening, revealing Ben's parents. "There you are! I thought you had left already. And who's your new friend?"

The group looked back at Loki only to blink in surprise. His skin had changed from light blue to a snowy white and his eyes were now a soft green. Ben looked back at his mom, who was waiting patiently if not confused. "Uh right. Loki, this is my mom and dad. Mom, Dad-this is Loki… Demetria and Herkie's cousin!" Ben exclaimed, holding back a cringe. As much as he didn't want to lie to his parents, he also didn't want to press his luck and add Loki to their list of new residents.

"Lovely to meet you, your majesties."

"It's nice to meet you as well, Loki. And please, call us Belle and Adam." Belle said with a bemused smile "What brings you to Auradon?"

"Oh uh, Loki's going to be staying for a while and we'd figure we'd give them a rundown of Auradon and allit has to offer!" Demetria laughed while giving Ben a mini glare.

Adam gave a small hum, before turning to Loki. "Well, that's wonderful! I assume you'll be joining Auradon Prep this year?"

Loki blinked at the question, briefly looking at the teens who had shown them nothing but kindness since they landed in front of the group not too long ago. A part of them wanted to soak up their friendliness and gentility for as long as possible. But another part of them, a bigger part and more insecure part of them, said that it would only be a matter of time till the teens tired of him and his odd ways just as Thor and the Warriors Three had.

And that was before the Frost Giant news.

And yet…

"Well Loki was just dropping in for the summer-"

"Yes." he said suddenly drawing the others' attention "I would like to attend Auradon Prep. If… if that would acceptable?"

"Well I don't see why not! I'm sure Auradon Prep would be thrilled to have you!" Belle assured him. "But you should probably have your parents fill out the paperwork. I'm sure I could have Fairy Godmother send an application to your parents. Just tell me who she needs to send it to!"

"Uncle Hermes!" Herkie said quickly, knowing that if anyone in their family would go along with this hair brain scheme, it was the god of trickery.

"Lovely! I'll pass that on to Fairy Godmother so we can get you enrolled as soon as possible!"

"Thank you. I will not forget your kindness."

"Nonsense; your Demetria's family, which practically makes you ours." Adam teased causing Belle to give him a pointed look. "Anyways, we'll see you kids later."

The teens watched the monarchs leave, sighing in relief as they shut the door closed. "Why didn't you just tell your parents that I was from Asgard?"

"Well for starters, I panicked. Second, I don't think they know. After all, the only reason I know is because Demetria told me." Ben shrugged.

"Welp, this is definitely going to be a school year to remember." Delilah breathed.

"I can't believe I'm gonna miss all this! Do you think Bruce will let me transfer?"

"Will they accept me?" Loki asked, the double meaning lost on the teens. The Asgardian wasn't just asking about whether or not they would be able to enroll, but asking whether or not people will treat them the way they've been treated before. Like an outsider, a freak of a nature, a monster.

"Loki, I can't promise you that everyone will like you, because life doesn't work that way. But I can promise that _we_ will accept you." Ben said earnestly, as Demetria and Herkie sat on either side of Loki.

"Yeah, you're family now, remember? And I promise you that you wouldn't be the first or the last person to be the odd man out." Herkie said as he bumped shoulder with them.

Demetria gave the two a smirk. "And that's the Olympian no money back guarantee!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, kudos and reviews are welcome and appreciated!


	6. It's a brand new day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> am i still alive? yes. am i still writing for this story? yes. did i decide to upload this story to another site and forgot to upload chapters to this as well?
> 
> ...yes.

_One month later…_

Auradon Prep was buzzing with energy and Ben couldn't tell if it was good or not. While his declaration had been meet with distress and fear, it hadn't been _outright_ rejected. It hadn't been meet enthusiastically either, but the prince would take what he could get.

Standing in the main doorway, the prince took in the sight of the students bustling about with posters and balloons as they waited for the new arrivals. He knew that his classmates were just as uneasy as the rest of the country, but he was grateful that they were putting forth an effort to be welcoming. A small grin flittered across his face as he saw Audrey direct the band where she wanted them. Audrey might not have been completely onboard, but she was still helping out and Ben reminded himself to buy her a thank you gift. _Maybe a gift certificate to that spa she always goes to_ , he thought.

"Are you hiding, Benji?" He laughed lightly, though it quickly died at the sight of her. Her brown hair had been pulled into a half up-do and out of her eyes, something that Ben appreciated greatly. The dress she wore was a beautiful dark shade of red with a black studded belt wrapped around her waist.

"You look absolutely breathtaking." 

"Oh come on. You've seen me in a dress before."

"And you stole my breath each time you did or didn't." he breathed then promptly blushed as he realized what he had said. Ben grinned as Demetria laughed, a dazzling smile on her face. "But to answer your question, I'm not hiding. Merely observing."

"Mmm, sounds like hiding to me." she teased as she looked out the window alongside him. Her eyes wandered over her fellow students and the colorful banners they held. "At least, the school's on your side. That's gotta count for something right?"

"It does! I'm glad I have their support."

"As dubious as they are, you have to admit, you've never given them a reason to doubt you."

"True. Here's hoping that this doesn't change that."

Demetria looked at Ben in surprise, taking in his furrowed brows and tense shoulders. "You're not having doubts are you?"

"Not… not quite." Ben said slowly "I'm just worried for them. I want them to find happiness here, you know? To be able to be their own person and forge their own path! But I'm worried that they won't see it that way. That they'll think it's just-some trick to make me look good or that I don't care about them. I just- just- why are you smiling?" Ben stared in bewilderment as Demetria laughed and pulled him into a hug. "Are you okay, Demi? Cause you're kind of weirding me out right now."

"Benji, you are the sweetest and kindest person I know. You are so compassionate and protective of these kids you haven't even meet yet and I just…" she trailed off, as she stared at him lovingly causing the prince's throat to go dry. "If anyone can make these kids feel at home- make them feel at ease- it's you. You are truly a good person and I admire you for that."

Ben ducked his head at the praise, only to swallow hard when Demetria tipped his chin up, making him look into her warm brown eyes. Ben felt himself practically drowning in the love and admiration that were in the brown orbs. Taking a step forward, Ben took Demetria's hand into his own and returned her sweet smile with one of his own.

"Ben, Demetria! What are you two still doing inside?" the duo jumped apart as they were joined by Fairy Godmother. The headmistress regarded the two with a kind, yet inquisitive smile. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"Well, uh, it's nothing that Ben and I can't revisit later. Right, Benji?"

"We most certainly will." he promised, giving her a small wink.

Fairy Godmother hummed lightly as she smiled knowingly, before gesturing the two towards the door. "Well if that's the case, we should best be on our way. Our new arrivals should be here within the next few minutes."

"What?! It's time already?!" Ben asked as he looked at his clock. The prince made a strangled noise as his watch confirmed what Fairy Godmother said, before grabbing Demetria's hand and pulling her out the door.

Fairy Godmother watched the two go, laughing as she trailed along behind them. "Ah, young love."

"There you two are!" Audrey huffed as the best friends came to a stop in front of the school. "You guys were cutting it close!"

"It's all Prince Brooding's fault."

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is it about your speech? Cause I stand by my original comment of cutting it down-"

"My speech is fine, Audrey."

"Your speech is twenty flash cards long, Benji. That's not fine."

"Twenty? Last I saw it was fifteen." Audrey said. Both girls looked at a pouting Ben, before looking back at each other and laughing. "Oh Benny Bear!"

"Is this bullying? It feels like bullying."

"Benji, λιακάδα, while I'm sure your speech is lovely, I'm also sure that you won't actually get through it."

"Gee, thanks for the support." the prince drawled.

"Benji, it's fifteen flash cards! Fifteen! Someone's bound to fall asleep!" Demetria teased making Ben gasp in mock anger.

"They would not!"

"Would too!"

"Well as much as I love to see you two go back and forth, I see the limo coming around the corner." Audrey interrupted as she pointed to said limo.

A commotion broke out amongst the students, as they also caught sight of the limo, but Ben barely paid attention to them. How could he with his heart pounding in his ears? The prince was surprised that the others couldn't hear it. All of the confidence and self-assuredness he had when he first started this whole thing disappeared and was replaced with nerves as the limo drew closer.

He startled as one of Demetria's hands grasped his arm and the other settled over his erratic heart. "Breathe λιακάδα. Everything's going to be fine. You have the school, Fairy Godmother and your friends right beside you. You have _me_ right beside you and I plan to see this through with you."

Ben smiled at her gratefully then turned to look as the limo pulled to a stop in front of them. Ben took a deep breath and released it, replaying Demetria's words in his head. _Everything is going to be-_

Ben paused that train of thought as two of the occupants fell out of the limo in a heap, shouting at each other and tugging on a blanket.

"Why do you get to keep it?! You got everything else!"

"Because I want it!"

_This is fine._

The next to exit was a purple haired girl, who immediately scrunched up her noise and cringed at, well, _everything_. She was followed by a blue haired girl who span around in a circle, awe and excitement on her face. _At least someone's excited,_ Ben thought nervously.

"Um guys? We have an audience." said the girl in purple. Recalling the corresponding letter they had gotten from the villain parents, the prince concluded that the girl was Maleficent's daughter Mal.

Demetria tucked her hands into the crook of his elbow, as she leaned over to whisper in his ear. "I give them a ten for the entrance." she teased causing him to grin. He placed his hand over top of her's as Fairy Godmother moved to stand in front of the teens.

"Oh, uh, just cleaning up!"

"Leave it like you found it!" the headmistress sang "And by that I mean just leave it."

The taller boy stood up allowing the smaller boy- _Carlos, Cruella's son,_ Ben thought taking in the shorter boy's white hair- to throw the items back into the car. The son of Jafar threw a few items into the car, before directing his attention to Audrey.

"Well hello, foxy. The name's… _Jay_." Ben found himself exchanging astonished looks with Demetria, while Audrey gave a small disbelieving laugh. The prince locked eyes with him, who raised his eyebrows causing Ben to shake his head.

"Okay, that'll be enough of that." Fairy Godmother instructed as Jay stepped back to stand with the others. Fairy Godmother nodded lightly as she fixed the newcomers with a wide smile. "I am Fairy Godmother, Headmistress and-"

"Fairy Godmother? As in _the_ Fairy Godmother? Like bibbidi bobbidi boo?" interrupted Mal.

"Bibbidi bobbidi you know it!"

"You know, I always wondered what if must've been like for you to just… show up with that big sparkly wand and the dress and the shoes. And that big sparkly wand!"

Fairy Godmother simply laughed it delight as she waved off Mal's comment. "Oh, that was such a long time ago! And as I like to say: it's better not to focus on the past, but on the future!"

Demetria pressed her lips together to hold back her laughter at the headmistress' wild hand gestures and the confused looks the VKs' sported. Ben nudged her lightly as Fairy Godmother moved to the side, allowing Ben to take over. Her smile widened as Ben pulled her closer to him, signaling that he wanted her to stay beside him.

Which was more than alright with her.

"It's so nice to finally meet you all! I'm Ben!"

" _Prince Ben_." Audrey interrupted with a proud grin as she placed a hand on his shoulder "And soon to be _King_ Ben."

He let out a small embarrassed laugh and began to continue, when Evie stepped forward and gave him a wide smile. "You had me at prince. My mom's a queen, which makes me a princess." Ben blinked owlishly at the admission, not quite sure how to respond.

Before he could try, Audrey addressed the girl with a contempt smile. "The Evil Queen has no status here. And neither do you." Ben looked at the princess in horror and she stared back nonplussed, while Demetria buried her head in Ben's neck.

_Well shit, Audrey._

"Well shit, Audrey!" Ben whirled around to find Loki holding up their phone which was on a Mirror Call with a gaping Jason "That was cold!"

"Seriously Loki?"

"He promised to stay quiet!"

"And you believed him?! _It's Jason!_ "

"Rookie mistake." Delilah sighed and Herkie nodded. "We tried to warn him that it was impossible, but he just didn't listen."

Ben whirled back around to look at Demetria, who was smiling reassuringly at him. "It's fine." she said in Greek.

"It's not fine." he replied in French, sporting a fake smile. He took a deep breath as Demetria played with his signet ring, making him relax slightly. _Okay, we can fix this,_ he thought. _Just got to regain control of the situation._ "This is Audrey."

" _Princess_ Audrey. Captain of the Cheerleading team and student body president."

"And this is Demetria."

"It's nice to meet you guys."

"Audrey, Demetria and Ben will be showing you around campus. And just remember: the doors to wisdom are never shut! But the library does close at eleven and as I'm sure you’ve heard, I have a thing about curfews." She laughed, before turning to direct the rest of the student body away. "Oh Loki! Don't go to far- I need to have a word with your friend about his language!"

Demetria snorted as she watched Fairy Godmother take Loki's phone, before turning back to Ben. The demigoddess pulled away from him, grinning at the small pout he gave, before pushing him forward.

 _Right, not done yet_ , he thought as he made his way over to Jay. "It is so, so nice to finally meet you." he laughed off the fist bump to the chest Jay had given him, thinking nothing of it. After all, it was nothing compared to the roughhousing that he experienced growing up with Herkie and Demetria.

With a small smile he moved onto shake hands with Mal. "This is a momentous occasion…" he trailed off as he finally got a good look at the daughter of Maleficent. Ever since Natasha had shown him the picture of the VKs that excluded Mal's face, he had wondered what the daughter of Maleficent looked like. He had heard other students whispering in the hallway whether or not she would look like her mother, and Ben's not proud to say that he wondered the same.

He hadn't expected her to be so… small.

Or doll like.

 _Maleficent had been a fae, which means that Mal was a fae and had fae like features_ , Ben thought admonishing himself. He gave himself a mental shake, before focusing back on Mal who had scrunched up her nose in confusion. She was probably wondering what he was thinking and why he was taking so long. 

_(Like a kitten trying to play tiger.)_

"A day that will go down in history." he said as he pulled away abruptly, hoping that he kept the laughter out of his voice. A quick glance at the others showed that they hadn't noticed. Well, except for Demetria who looked bemused. He threw her a quick grin which she responded with a fond eye roll.

He reached out a hand to Carlos, who exchanged a wary glance with Mal, before shaking his hand as well. "Is that chocolate?" he asked, his laugh finally bubbling out as he looked down at his now chocolate stained hand.

Ben looked at his hand once more, before licking the chocolate off his fingers. Carlos blinks up at him owlishly, before tentatively licking his fingers as well and giving a timid, lopsided smile. "Great Rhea, Ben."

"You're such a boy." agreed Audrey. He threw his head back and laughed full on as he shook Evie's hand, causing them to groan playfully.

"This will be the day that our two people begin to heal-"

"Or where you show four people where the bathrooms are." Mal interrupted. Ben blinked at the purple haired girl, before directing his grin at her.

"Too much?"

"Just a bit."

He let out a mock sigh and snapped his fingers. "So much for my big speech." he said in faux disappointment, before playfully glaring at a snickering Demetria "Don't you start."

"Who me? I didn't say _anything_." she said with a pout, though it soon turned into a smirk "Except that your speech was too long and you wouldn't finish."

"No, you said that someone would fall asleep."

"I stand by that too."

"Yeah, I can back that one up." Jay teased before letting out a huge yawn.

Ben couldn't help the soft smile that worked it's way onto his face as Demetria laughed as he stretched his hand towards her. His smile grew larger as she tucked herself into his side, placing her lips to his ears. "It was still a nice speech." she whispered, her smile clear in her voice.

He gave her waist a small squeeze and moved to speak, when Audrey beat him to it. He took in her forced smile, before following her line of sight and found it on Mal. "Hey, Mal, right? You're Maleficent's daughter?" she asked, her tone sickly sweet. The prince caught a brief look of wariness on the violet girl's face, before it quickly turns into indifference. "You know, I totally don't blame you for what she did to my mom." Audrey says, her voice sickly sweet "My mom's-"

" _Sleeping Beauty_. Yeah, I've heard the name." Mal gives the princess a saccharine smile. " And I totally don't blame your grandparents for inviting everyone but my mom to their stupid little christening."

 _Okay, this is bad. This is beyond bad-this is terrible_ , thought Ben. As much as he loved Audrey and as grateful as he was for her help putting the welcome together, he was starting to regret asking her to come. He had his reservations before, asking her to meet the daughter of the woman who had tried to kill her parents. But Audrey had said it was fine and that she could believed that she could handle it. So Ben had believed it too.

_Guess we were both wrong._

"Water under the bridge?"

"Oh, of course!" Mal agreed, matching Audrey's faux cheery tone. The two shared a fake laugh, before sighing and Ben stole a quick glance at Evie. The dark haired beauty watched the two with a look that Ben could only describe as faintly amused.

Demetria looked away briefly and caught Ben's gaze, making her smirk. She gave him a one armed shrug, as if to say 'what can you do'? In Demetria's opinion, it could've been worse. After all, she'd grown up watching her aunts and uncles fight over pettier. She cleared her throat, causing the two to stop their staring match and look at her.

The demigoddess gave Ben a wink in response to the grateful smile he gave her, before speaking. "Alright then, the three of us will be giving you the grand tour of Auradon Prep." Demetria began "We won't go through the whole school right now- that'd take forever, but you are more than welcome to explore during your time here. We'll mainly cover where your rooms, dining room, common rooms and classrooms are."

"Sounds like a good idea."

Giving Evie a relieved smile, Ben started to lead the group to the school with a small flourish. "So Auradon Castle was originally built over 300 years ago by-"

"By Auradon's first King and Ben's ancestor." Demetria interrupted, faking a yawn. Ben stopped and gave her a playful glare, causing her to laugh "In my defense, I've heard this story before. You tell it every time, the exact same way someone comes to the castle."

"I do not!"

"Yes, you do!"

"It's true, Benny Bear." Audrey agreed, appearing to be in a better mood.  "You totally do."

At the prince's pout, Demetria and Audrey exchange teasing grins before gesturing for him to continue. "Why thank you." he drawled, as he clapped his hands allowing the statue they were standing by to transform from a man to a beast.

"And I here I thought you were nice." Demetria mocked, jerking her head behind them. "You scared Carlos."

"Did not!" Ben turned to find the smaller boy in Jay's arm, a look of fear on his face, while Jay looks down at him blankly. "I was-it just startled me."

"I'm sorry, Carlos. My father had the statue commissioned to symbolize that anything was possible."

"Huh. Did he shed much?" 

Ben turned to the purple haired girl with a blank look. "Mom won't let him on the couch." he said seriously, then smiled at her slightly amused look.

Covering his laugh with a cough, Ben gestures for the others to follow him inside and chances a glance at Audrey. He finds her looking decisively in front of her, though she did give him a small smile when she saw him looking, leading Ben to believe that she was probably embarrassed about earlier. Ben threw his free arm around her and smiled back at her easily, showing that he wasn't upset. 

"So do you guys have any magic around here?" Mal asks suddenly, as they enter the foyer of the castle. He feels Audrey tense beside him slightly and he pulled her closer to him in a side hug.

Ben looked at her in cautious intrigue and curiosity, hesitating slightly before answering. "It's mostly retired now. Most of us are everyday mortals."

"That just so happen to be kings and queens."

"It's true." Audrey agrees, turning to look at the purple haired girl with a small smirk. "Our royal blood line goes back for  decades."

He looks around the room, hoping to find something to change the subject to, when someone came down the stairs. "Doug!" Ben called out, noticing Doug first. Pulling away from Demetria and Audrey, he jogged  over to the teen, meeting him halfway. "Doug, come here! Everyone, meet Doug!"

"Guys, this is Doug. Doug's offered to help show you guys around to your classes. He also has your schedule's."  Ben explained. He opened his mouth to speak, stopping when he noticed Audrey stepped forward.

"I think I'm going to take my leave now." Audrey said as she smiled halfheartedly.

Demetria and Ben gave Audrey gentle and reassuring smiles as she left. Despite Audrey's insistence and Ben's reassurance, the demigoddess knew that Audrey and Mal having a 'tiff' was inevitable. It wasn't that Demetria believed Audrey to be a vengeful person, but she did know that Audrey was protective of her family just like Demetria was. She knew that if it was different and that she was in Audrey's shoes, she wouldn't be so eager to be friends with Mal.

She's also pretty sure that Mal's question about magic hadn't put Audrey at ease.

So, yeah, Demetria kinda got it.

She shook her head and turned her attention back to Doug… who was rambling even worse than Ben. "I'm Doug, son of Dopey! One of the seven dwarves! You know, like Doc, Grumpy, Sleepy, Happy, Bashful… _heigh ho_."

Demetria watched in amusement as Doug stared dumbstruck at Evie. The demigoddess raised a brow as Evie sauntered up to Doug with a wicked smile and fluttering eyelashes. "Evie. Evil Queen's daughter." she said low, a complete 180 from how she was with Ben.

Doug gulped as he looked at Evie then down at his tablet. The demigoddess wiggled her eyebrows teasingly when Evie looked at her questioningly, before sharing a quick giggle with the blue haired girl. _Welp, Audrey and Mal not get close, but Doug and Evie might,_ she thought amused. She might not have been willing to support Evie going after Ben- for purely selfish reasons, of course- but she could definitely help her out with Doug.

"So uh, we signed you guys up for most of the usual classes here. There's History of Woodsmen, Internet Safety, Remedial Goodness 101-"

"New class?" Mal asked, half mocking and half serious. Ben and Demetria nodded, though the latter rolled her eyes. It had been Adam's idea to have the class and Demetria had thought it was ridiculous. They might as well have just said 'we don't fully believe that you guys have what it takes to be good people on your own'. "Come on guys. Let's go see our new rooms."

Demetria raised her brows at the mocking smile Mal gave her, then smiled as the four walked off in the wrong direction. She looked to Ben, who simply shrugged it off before calling after them. "Hey guys! You're rooms are this way- Demetria and I will show you where they are."

"While Doug here remembers the name of his last uncle."

"I didn't forget! It's Doc, Grumpy, Sleepy, Happy, Bashful-and, uh…"

"Sneezy." Carlos piped up, making Demetria burst into laughter making Carlos stare at her confused while Doug flushed in embarrassment.

"How is it that Carlos knows your uncles better than you do?"

"Can you blame me? I don't know how you can remember all yours. I mean, you have like twenty aunts and uncles?"

"Oh, I have no clue. I only really know the ones that live on Mt. Olympus." she shrugged.

The VKs exchanged questioning looks, when Evie spoke up. "Who're your parents, Demetria?"

Demetria blinked at the question, before giving Evie a small, but proud grin. "Captain Steve Trevor and Princess Diana of Themsycira." At the confused looks the VKs gave her, she grinned wider "Also known as Wonder Woman."

The demigoddess laughed at the shell shocked expressions while Ben gave Demetria a playful grin. "Don't let the lineage fool you, she's kind of lame."

"Why are you being mean to me?" Demetria whined playfully. A squeal escaped her as Ben reached out and tickled her. She threw a glare at the prince, though it turned into laughter as he pulled her into his side and the two began to walk up the stairs.

"Are they always like this?" 

"Yes and no." At Mal's raised brow, Doug began to explain quickly. "Demetria and Ben have always been super close, they've been best friends since preschool, after all. They've always been affectionate with one another, but lately it seems like they've gotten even closer than usual. Or at least more affectionate in public."

"That's so-"

"Cute."

"Informative." Mal corrected, giving Evie a pointed glance. The blue haired girl lost her smile as she took a half step back. Mal rolled her eyes before giving a nervous Doug a wide smile. "Now I know just who to talk to when I need answers."

"I thought you guys wanted to see your rooms?" Demetria called, causing the VKs exchanged quick looks before joining the two at the top of the stairs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, kudos or reviews are always appreciated!


	7. Evil Like Me

"And here are your rooms! I'm pretty sure the stewards already brought your stuff in, so that way you only have to unpack! " Demetria explained as she opened the door. She lead the two girls in. then turned around quickly to take in their reactions.

It was… _mixed_ to say the least.

Mal looked as if she was about to throw up as she took in the pastel pink walls and brightly colored bedding. Demetria had figured that Mal wouldn't like it, if her reaction upon exiting the limo had been any indication. Evie, on the other hand, looked at the room as if it was filled with the most precious jewels.

"This is amaz-"

" _Gross_."

"Amazingly gross! I know, right?" Demetria blinked confused, watching as Evie's face twisted into a scowl and how her eyes darted nervously at Mal. Upon finding the other girl's attention on the room, Evie opened her mouth in a giddy yet silent scream. _Well okay then,_ Demetria thought bemused. When Demetria caught Evie's eye, she mimed zipping her mouth shut and smiled playfully.

Evie returned the smile with on of her own, when Mal snapped her fingers in Evie's face. "E! Windows!"

Demetria watched the two VKs close the curtains eagerly- well, Mal was eager. Evie, on the other hand, looked reluctant to get rid of the sunlight. She was about to throw out a comment, when a movement caught her eyes. Brown eyes narrowed at the other side of the room, before slipping out of the room to investigate. Silently creeping out of the room, Demetria entered the hallway only to find it empty. She began to turn back, when she swore she saw something move once more.

She began to venture closer when someone tapped her shoulder. Turning around, she came face to face with a confused Evie and an amused Mal. "We put our stuff away!" Evie exclaimed, then looked at the demigoddess curiously. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I… I thought I saw something."

"Is the princess afraid of her own shadow?"

"Hardly." Demetria scoffed, though she then gave Mal a teasing grin "Though I don't think the girl who can barely brave sunlight has much room to talk."

At Demetria's comment, Mal gritted her teeth and sent a deadly glare her way. Demetria me the look head on, completely unbothered. Upon realizing that the demigoddess wasn't reacting, Mal allowed her eyes to glow green. _That'll scare her,_ Mal thought victoriously. But to Mal's surprise, Demetria didn't react.  Demetria wasn't sure what the shorter girl was trying to achieve, but she didn't care for it. The demigoddess narrowed her eyes as she stepped closer to Mal, causing Mal to blink in surprise. 

 _No,_ Mal thought viciously. _There was no possible way!_  But if Evie's wide eyed look was anything to go by, it had happened. Mal had looked away first and lost.

Mal had lost to a princess of Auradon.

Not that Demetria knew that.

As far as Demetria knew, Mal had just been trying to stare her down. Completely unfazed, Demetria shrugged off the other girls' look. "Not that that wasn't fun, but maybe we should find the boys and finish the tour?"

Evie coughed in a poor attempt to cover her laughter. The blue haired girl glanced at Mal and felt all amusement leave as Mal glowered at the demigoddess. Evie didn't know many people had dared to mock the daughter of Maleficent and live to tell the tale.

 _Well, I do now_ , Evie thought as she glanced between the two, before joining Demetria _. I'm sure Mal will get over it._

* * *

Mal was over it.

Except she totally wasn't. 

As the VKs snuck through the Museum of Cultural History, Mal was _still_ upset over what happened with Demetria. Back on the Isle, she had been the worst of the worst. No one dared to cross her until today.  _There's no way this little princess will stand a chance against me once I get that wand; Olympian or not_ , she thought with a wicked grin.  _As long as these knuckleheads keep it together,_ she thought irritated. She regarded her ragtag crew with exasperation. It was a miracle to Mal that the four had gotten through without getting caught. She followed after Evie- insane, she knows- as the blue haired girl led them to the wand.

"How much further, E?"

"We're really close! We just have to go… _Mommy?_ "

Mal stared at Evie confused, before following her line of sight, though she wished she hadn't. In front of the VKS were statues of their parents. They looked so different here; younger, poised _\- dangerous._ "I will never forget Mother's day again." Carlos muttered.

"Killer." Jay breathed, then cleared his throat awkwardly "Well, wand's not here. Let's bounce!"

Mal stayed behind as the others went off in search of the wand.  Mal walked closer as she took in the statue of her mother holding her scepter high in the air. _This_ was the Maleficent that had instilled fear and terror into people's hearts. This was the Maleficent who got sent to the Isle. This was the Maleficent that Mal wanted to be. Everything about her screamed wickedness and malevolence and cruelty and-and-

And everything Mal wasn't.

_Mal:_

_Look at you, look at me_

_I don't know who to be_

_Mother_

_Is it wrong, is it right?_

_Be a thief in the night_

_Mother_

_Tell me what to do_

Unbeknownst to Mal, an unknown woman lurked behind the purple haired girl. The woman walked into the room, regarding an unaware Mal with a patronizing smile. "You poor thing. If only mommy dearest was here to help you." she said, gently brushing Mal's hair as she walked past. Mal startled at the sensation, but still couldn't see or hear the woman.

The woman gasped as she snapped her fingers, her white colored eyes widening. "Maybe you should help!" she exclaimed. She placed her hand on statue Maleficent's cheek, in a doting manner as her hand began to glow purple. "Shouldn't you?"

The woman stepped back as the statue came to life with a cackle, startling Mal. The woman laughed as Maleficent soon sat down and joined Mal.

_Maleficent:_

_I was once like you my child_

_Slightly insecure_

_Argued with my mother too_

_Thought I was mature_

_But I put my heart aside_

_And I used my head_

_Now I think it's time you learned_

_What dear old momma said_

"Mmm, this is a little too boring." the woman said as she stretched out on the stairs behind Mal and Maleficent. "How about we speed up the tempo and add a little dance to it? Yeah?"

_Maleficent:_

_Don't you wanna be evil like me?_

_Don't you wanna be mean?_

_Don't you wanna make mischief your daily routine?_

"Can confirm that that last one is _so_ much fun." the woman laughed as she and Mal watched the statue dance.

_Maleficent:_

_Well you can spend your life attending to the poor_

_But when you're evil doing less is doing more_

_Don't you wanna be ruthless and rotten and mad?_

_Don't you wanna be very, very good at being bad?_

_I have tried my whole life long to do the worst I can_

_Clawed my way to victory_

_Built my master plan_

_Now the time has come my dear for you to take your place_

_Promise me you will try to be an absolute disgrace_

"I don't think we have to worry about that?" the woman said as she materialized to Mal's side, though still unseen. She watched the girl twiddle her fingers and grinned as she whispered in her ear, "Considering she can't handle one little demigod."

Mal flushed as the memory of Demetria and their stare down came back to her suddenly. It was one thing to lose a stare down with her mother-she was the Mistress of all Evil, after all- but to lose to Demetria?

Unacceptable.

She was Mal, daughter of Maleficent! And soon, she would be known as the girl who broke the barrier and unleashed evil on all of Auradon.

"Atta girl. Oh, you might wanna catch this." the woman advised. Mal lifted her head and caught the scepter Maleficent threw at her. Statue or not, holding her mother's  scepter made her feel powerful and confident. She fought back a frown as she threw the scepter back at Maleficent's urging.

The woman hummed thoughtfully, as she waved her hand in the statue's direction once more, making it fly above their heads. "Now let's _really_ sell it."

_Maleficent:_

_This is not for us to ponder_

_This was preordained_

_You and I shall rule together_

_Freedom soon regain_

_Mistress of the universe, powerful and strong_

_Daughter, hear me_

_Help me, join me_

_Won't you sing along_

Mal grinned viciously as she grabbed the other end of the scepter. "Is this a mini kick-line? _Oh it is_ -how lovely!"

_Mal and Maleficent:_

_Now we're gonna be evil it's true_

_Never gonna think twice_

_Mal:_

_And we're gonna be spiteful_

_Maleficent:_

_Yes, spiteful_

_That's nice_

_In just an hour or two_

_Our futures safe and sure_

_This mother, daughter act is going out on tour_

_If you wanna be evil and awful and free_

"Big finish now!"

_Maleficent:_

_Then you should thank your lucky star_

_That you were born the girl you are_

_The daughter of an evilicious queen_

_Like me_

The woman and Mal watched as the statue flew into the air and cackled, sparks of green crackling behind her. The elder sighed as she crossed her arms as she set everything back to normal. "That ending's a bit much, but I think I got the point across." she hummed, before turning to look at a grinning Mal "That's the advice you wanted, wasn't it? Some nice reassuring words from mommy, hmm?"

And it was. Mal felt reenergized now; she felt ready not just to steal the wand, but to conquer all of Auradon! She was going to make this place burn and force Demetria to watch! _Mother would be thrilled if I took down an Olympian_ , she thought with a malicious smile.

"Normally I'd suggest you do something about that obsession with pleasing your mother, but since it's working in my favor I'll allow it." the woman sighed.

"M! M, what are you still doing here?" the two looked up as Evie stood in the doorway, regarding Mal in confusion. "We found the wand! Let's go!"

The woman watched with a fond smile as the two ran from the room. "Oh, you won't be getting the wand just yet. That wouldn't be any fun, now would it?" she teased, her smile sharp and dangerous "After all, I need _you_ to find out what Demetria is capable of."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always kudos and reviews are welcome!


	8. Now am I wrong for trying to reach the things that I can't see

"Do you Midgardians always travel in close packs or are they trying to become one giant being?" Demetria, Ben, Delilah and Herkie looked up from their lunches and at Loki in confusion. Loki nodded their head over to the cafeteria doors, where the VKs were huddled together. The group watched as the four regarded the cafeteria and it's occupants with uneasy and distrustful eyes.

Ben stood up immediately, a determined look on his face. "Hey, you guys don’t mind if I invite them over, do you?" At the positive answers he received, he then turned to Demetria smiling brightly. "Come with me?"

She tilted her head side to side playfully, before nodding. The demigoddess beamed as she took Ben's outstretched hand and intertwined their fingers as they walked over to the VKs. "Hey guys! How'd you sleep?"

"Deader than a sleeping curse."

Ben and Demetria exchanged confused looks at Mal's response, then looked at the others questioningly. Evie giggled lightly at the Auradon kids' faces, before stepping forward. "We slept just fine, your highness. Thank you for your concern."

"Of course! Also you don’t have to be so formal; Ben and Demetria works just fine."

"I will also accept Dems." Demetria added, before giving the VKs an eager grin. She pulled on Ben's hand, leading the group over to the buffet tables.  "Now onto more important matters- what do you guys want for lunch?"

"What are we allowed to have?"

Demetria startled at Carlos' question. She looked to Ben, who looked just as confused as she did, before turning back to Carlos. "You can have anything you want." she said slowly "All meals are self serve. If you get hungry throughout the day, you're more than welcome to raid the common kitchen. Although sometimes the chefs will put out snacks every now and then."

"Wait, really? We can just take it? For how much?"

"Of course you can, Carlos. And it's absolutely free." Ben explained "And you guys don't have to worry about money and the like. I have that all taken care of for you guys."

"Seriously?"

"His highness is very giving." Demetria told Jay, with a teasing grin. At Ben's fondly exasperated look, Demetria winked at the prince before grabbing a scone. She held the scone out to Ben, grinning when he took a bite and then ate the rest. "But Ben's got your finances covered. Just come see one of us if you want to buy something."

"Or anything in general." said Ben "We're here to help in anyway possible."

"We'll keep that in mind." Mal hummed as she eyed the royals with a mocking smile, then moved to the lunch table.

Demetria watched her go with an inquisitive glance. She hadn't known what to expect from the daughter of Maleficent, but she did know that there was something… off. From the weird little stare down they had yesterday and her behavior after it made Demetria slightly on edge.

She turned to Ben, wanting his opinion, only to find him pointing out different foods to Jay and Carlos. _It can wait_ , Demetria thought as she watched the boys fondly. _I'm probably overreacting_. She let out a snort as Jay held a muffin over Carlos' head mockingly, causing the shorter boy to scowl while Ben admonished Jay. "Hi Demetria."

Demetria startled at Evie's sudden presence beside her, before laughing at herself. "Hey Evie! What's up?"

"I was wondering if you had any suggestions. We don't have anything like this on the Isle."

"Really?" Demetria looked over the various assortments. She had eaten practically every dish on the tables at least once in her life. Hell, she had practically eaten every dish Auradon had to offer at some point. It had never occurred to her that the Isle wouldn't have the same food from Auradon.

"Mhmm. Usually we just eat whatever leftover we can find." Demetria stared at Evie in confusion, only to receive a confused look back. "You know, the leftovers from the shipments you guys send?"

Demetria blinked once, then twice, hoping she had misunderstood Evie in someway. But the blue haired girl simply stared at Demetria, confused by her reaction. Growing up on the Isle, Evie had been used to the moldy food and sludge. She had taken her mother's rants about being giving 'peasant food' with a grain of salt, used to Grimhilde's rants about the 'gold old days'. Though if the food in front of her was any indication, her mother had been right.

"That's so fucked!" Demetria seethed, making Evie jump back in shock. Evie smiled hesitantly at the apologetic smile Demetria gave as Ben walked over. "Sorry."

"You two okay?"

"Yeah-yeah of course." Demetria said and Evie nodded in agreement. Leaning closer to Ben, she whispered into his ear, "I'll explain later, though we're going to have to keep a closer look at the Isle."

Ben frowned, but at her pointed look didn't press. Demetria gave his hand a gentle squeeze as he left, before turning her attention back to Evie. "Okay, let's get you your first Auradonian meal!" she exclaimed, then paused "Or second Auradonian meal; breakfast would've been the first-"

"I actually didn't have breakfast." Evie admitted sheepishly "We, uh- we woke up late and ran to class."

Demetria nodded, before regarding Evie warily. "You guys skipped lunch and dinner yesterday, right?" Evie nodded "And you missed breakfast today. Aren't you guys starving?"

"Not really. We're kinda used to not eating all day." Evie admitted with a shrug. She began to frown as Demetria's face became pinched, before remembering her mother's rule about being to expressive. _"Princesses should be demure and delicate in their expressions. Being too expressive causes wrinkles and you'll never find a prince then!"_

Evie straightened out her expression, before placing her hands on Demetria's cheeks. "What-what're you doing? Evie?"

"Straightening your face back out. Hopefully I did it quickly enough so the wrinkles don't set in."

"Right, because  _wrinkles_ is more important than your _lack of eating_."

"Yeah, exactly!" Evie exclaimed "You're eye's twitching. Here let me-"

"No! Forget my face; right now, getting you food is our priority!" Demetria protested as she pulled Evie over to a table. "Okay, let's get you a ham and cheese sandwich- that's like two food groups in one!"

"What're food groups?" Jay asked as he came up beside them. He had a tray with macaroni and cheese, turkey and broccoli _. Ben must've fixed it_ , she thought. It looked far too healthy for Jay to fix on his own. 

"Oh! My mommy told me all about it! The food groups are a system that helps you maintain a healthy diet! There's like five, but mommy says that you only need two to be the fairest!"

Demetria looked at Evie aghast, then looked to Jay in confirmation. The son of Jafar nodded blithely, either used to hearing this or simply unaware of whether it's true or not. "Evie, honey, you need to eat all five food groups, okay?"

"But mommy said-"

"Your mom was wrong."

"Mommy said that Auradon hoarded all the good food and riches, leaving us with garbage and that was true."

Demetria bit her tongue to stop herself from cursing, instead smiling widely at a skeptical Evie and an amused Jay. "That part is true-unfortunately- but listen…" Demetria trailed off, trying to find a way to make them understand. Because the Evil Queen may have been right about Auradon's apparent tyrannical tendencies, it didn't mean she was right about trying to starve her own daughter dammit. And Evie apparently hung on to every word her mother said- Jay did too, probably- in an attempt to-

Oh.

"Listen, your mom told you this to become the fairest of them all, right?"

"To find a prince. Mommy says I need to focus on finding a prince since I'm not pretty enough to be the fairest."

"Bullshit." Jay and Demetria snapped in unison. The two looked at each other in surprise; both shocked to see the other come to Evie's defense. Jay quickly covered his shock with a smirk and Demetria grinned at him, before turning to a blushing Evie. "Your mom told you all this, but your mom's approach was… let's go with ill advised, for lack of a better word." said Demetria "But Snow White on the other hand! Snow White ate all the food groups!"

"Seriously?" Evie asked looking unimpressed, as Jay laughed.

"Seriously! Think about it! You said it yourself- your mom says to eat two food groups, which means she probably only ate the two and gave the rest to Snow! You know, in an attempt to make her less pretty before she tried to, well you know."

"Cut out her heart out and eat it?"

"Yeah, exact-wait, what?"

"Your mom did what, E?"

Evie looked between the two and shrugged. "She wanted the Huntsman to carve out Snow White's heart to eat it." she explained, then cocked her head to the side "You know what? You might be on to something, Demetria."

"You think?" Jay mocked looking at her with wide eyes. Evie huffed and raised her hand to hit him, when Demetria grabbed her wrist with a scowl.

"Evie, what're you thinking? You can't hit him like that!" Demetria demanded, bringing Evie's hand down "You could break your thumb like this!" Demetria repositioned Evie's thumb, then angled her arm "That's better! Now force your arm straight, directing your fist into his shoulder. That'll really hurt him!"

"Wait what?" Jay exclaimed, before yelping in pain at the punch Evie threw. The teen looked at the grinning girls in shock, before throwing his head back in laughter "Shit Dems! You sure you aren't from the Isle?"

"Nope, but growing up in Olympus makes you either immune to everything or crazy."

"Is it really that chaotic?" Carlos asked as he and Ben joined them. His tray was filled with various vegetables and sandwiches, alongside a water bottle that was filled with milk, oddly enough. At the odd looks his tray got, the shorter teen huffed and eyed Ben out of the corner of his eye. "Ben thinks that since we don't have enough food on the Isle that I'm not finished with puberty."

"I didn't know that you had started puberty!"

As the other VKs laughed, Demetria looked at Ben who shrugged with a tight smile. "Between your reaction and theirs, it wasn't too hard to piece together." he admitted to her quietly.

"By the end of the month, you'll be able to fix it so it never happens again." she said reassuringly. Ben smiled halfheartedly before turning back to the others. "but to answer your question, Carlos- it's definitely chaotic, but in a good way!"

"How can it be chaotic in a good way?"

"You'd have to see it to truly understand." Demetria laughed, before grinning widely "Hey, maybe I can bring you guys on a weekend trip or something!"

"Really? You mean it?"

"I don't see why not. It's always fun to bring people to Mt. Olympus." Demetria grinned, as Ben shook his head fondly. "It'll be unforgettable."

"Oh, I know it will be." Mal said as she sidled up to Demetria, a wide smile on her face. The taller girl looked down at Mal, her own smile faltering as she looked at Mal. There was something lurking in the back of Mal's eyes; something foreboding and Demetria didn't care for it.

Before she could say anything, Evie stepped forward with a wide smile, though it was dimmed slightly by the uneasy glance she gave Mal. "So Demetria- any last suggestions for lunch? Or meals in general?"

"Uh yeah, I usually like to grab a snack, like some chips or fruit or oh! Donuts- donuts are amazing and so are like different pastries! You guys should definitely try at least one!"

"As you can see, Demetria has a massive sweet tooth." Ben piped in, resting his chin on her shoulder with a teasing grin "If she could get away with it, she'd eat pastries and desserts all day."

"How dare you expose me like this! I shared my scone with you and this is how you repay me?"

Ben grinned broadly as he placed a brief kiss to her cheek, then grabbed an cherry danish. He laughed fondly as her eyes light up at the sight of it and held it out for her. "Does this make up for it?"

Demetria took a few bites before taking it from him with a wink. "I'll consider it." she said. She went to take another bite, before catching Evie's curious gaze. With a reassuring smile, she held it out for Evie. "Here- take a bite and see if you like it!"

Evie looked between Demetria and the pastry warily, before a cautious step closer. On the one hand, she didn't believe that Demetria or Ben would hurt her- they were too nice and eager. The two were practically an open book, unafraid of showing how much they cared about for the VKs.  But even if she had been castle schooled for most of her life- Evie was still from the Isle. And life on the Isle had taught Evie to be cautious and suspicious of everything and everyone. It was how they survived.

But it looked _so good_.

And _fresh_.

 _Here goes nothing_ , Evie thought. The blue haired girl took the danish from an encouraging Demetria and Ben, while the others stared on warily. Well, Jay and Carlos looked wary. Mal, on the other hand, looked amused, most likely thrilled at the idea of Evie making a fool of herself.

Taking a deep breath, Evie took a delicate bite before breaking into a wide smile. "This is delicious! What flavor is this!"

"It's cherry. Would you like some more?"

"Yes Ben, that'd be lovely!"

"Wait; I wanna try one!"

Ben laughed as Carlos tried to take the danish from a scowling Evie. Ben grabbed three- one for Evie, Carlos and Demetria- before grabbing a few more just in case someone else at the table wanted one. "Okay everyone, let's make sure that we have actual food on our plates and join the others."

Demetria and Ben lead the four over to where Delilah, Herkie and Loki were waiting. "Took you guys long enough! I thought you wouldn't finish until lunch ended!" Herkie joked.

"Haha, you're hilarious truly." Demetria deadpanned as they sat down "Alright crew, time for intros. These are the new kids: Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos. Guys; these are my two cousins, Herkie and Loki. And this is my best friend Delilah." Ben looked at Demetria affronted, causing the demigoddess to roll her eyes while Delilah laughed. "Sorry- my best friend aside from Ben. Better?"

"Much better." Ben sniffed in mock anger as he sat down beside her. Demetria rolled her eyes fondly as she leaned against Ben. The prince threw his arm around her and drew her in closer, making Demetria sigh happily. Demetria pulled her tray closer to her and picked up her muffin.  "Oh! You should also try the muffins." she said taking a bite. _Still warm_ , she thought happily "Not as good as halvas or macarons, but still just as good."

"That's because you have the taste buds of a toddler." Herkie teased and Loki laughed in agreement. Demetria scowled, throwing a couple of grapes at the two. "What? I'm just doing my job as your little cousin."

"What's halvas? And macarons?"

"The best thing in the entire world, Carlos!" Ben watched as Demetria explained the two desserts to an intrigued Carlos. While he knew it was only their first day, Ben couldn't help but feel that things were going well.  Aside from the... disturbing revelation about the Isle's food, the Vks were taking to Auradon quite well. _And to it's people too,_  Ben thought as he watched everyone interact. Carlos and Demetria were still talking about food. Evie and Delilah appeared to be joining in every now and then, but seem preoccupied with their own conversation. Herkie appeared to be in the middle of explaining something to Jay and Loki. The prince deduced by the demigod's wild hand gestures that he was talking about tourney. Fairy Godmother had found him earlier and mentioned that she recommended Jay and Carlos try out for tourney. She had also mentioned that Mal was proving to be a star pupil in their Remedial Goodness class.

At the thought of Mal, Ben looked over to see the daughter of Maleficent watching everyone at the table with a keen eye. When she caught him staring, she gave him an overly sweet smile. Ben smiled back, albeit bemused, but then shrugged it off. Ben figured she must've been wary to open up to the others yet after what had happened with Audrey.  _I'm sure she'll be fine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always kudos are welcome!


	9. Making friends

"So how long have you and Ben been a thing?" Demetria choked on air, before looking at Evie wildly. The blue haired girl looked at Demetria in amusement. Evie leaned against the lockers with a sly grin as Demetria regained composure. "You okay there?"

"Perfect." Demetria deadpanned "And Ben and I are not a thing; we're best friends."

"Carlos and I are best friends. You and Ben are not best friends." Evie protested, then cocked her head to the side "Well, you are best friends, but it's obvious that you want more by the way you act."

"What-I- I do not!"

Evie regarded Demetria with a mix of amusement and pity. She opened her mouth to say something when Mal spoke up. "As riveting as this conversation is, could you possibly do it somewhere else? Preferably _not_ my locker."

Demetria frowned at the girl's dismissive and snappy attitude, and her frown only deepened when Evie shrunk back. Evie quickly grabbed Demetria's hand and dragged her away before the demigoddess could speak.  "Bye M."

"Bye E. Bye Dems." Mal waved mockingly as the two girls left, delighting in the annoyed look Demetria sported. She might not have found a way to get the wand, but she did find a way to get under Demetria's skin.

The daughter of Maleficent smiled to herself as she closed her locker, ready to go off to her next class. She paused as Ben came over and leaned against the locker next to her's. "Hey."

"Hi."

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. I didn't really get to talk to you at lunch." Ben said in hopes of starting a conversation. Instead all he got was a smirk as she watched him with piercing green eyes. Ben looked away from her gaze, feeling a bit unsettled, though it soon landed on her locker design. "This is really good. You should take your artwork off your locker and to the art club."

Mal hummed lightly in response, though Ben wasn't sure if she was actually paying attention to him or not. He soon got his answer as Mal's gaze went behind him. He followed her gaze to find it on Jane, Fairy Godmother's daughter. The smaller girl smiled shyly when she noticed Ben, though it soon disappeared when she realized Mal was also staring. Jane all but ran past them, darting into the first doorway she came across.

"Maybe I could sign you up?" he asked tearing Mal's attention away from where Jane disappeared. At her raised brow, he tapped Mal's locker and continued "For art club?"

"Way to take all the fun out of it." she mocked.  She gave Ben a teasing smile, probably the most genuine one since she had gotten to Auradon, before turning on her heel and all but skipping away, a plan forming in her mind.

Ben watched her go, wondering what had put her in a such a good mood all of a sudden _. Maybe she's going to think art club over_ , Ben thought as he leaned against the lockers. He cast another look at Mal's locker with an appreciative look. Sure it was a painting of Maleficent that said 'long live evil' and he's pretty sure she had used spray paint, but Ben couldn't deny that it was well done.

Shaking his head, he pushed off of the lockers and began to head inside. He would give Mal some more time to become adjusted. _She'll come around. I know it_ , he thought.

* * *

Demetria and Evie were walking through the hallway on their way to Demetria's room. After looking over Evie's schedule, the two had discovered they had the same free period after lunch and Evie had shyly asked to spend it with Demetria. Demetria had agreed on the spot and was glad she had. Evie was great company; she was funny and witty and mischievous.

 _Unless Mal was around_ , Demetria thought recalling the way Evie practically an from the purple haired girl earlier. "Why do you do that?" she asked suddenly.

"Do what?"

"Let Mal boss you around like that. You get all closed up and skittish around her."

"No, I don't." Evie protested, but it was weak to both of them. Evie clutched her books tighter to her chest, avoiding Demetria's gaze. "Look, it's just- I didn't become apart of Mal's crew until recently and I'm still trying to earn my place, ya know?"

"I'm pretty sure that's not how friendship works, Evie."

"That's because your from Auradon. We don't do friendships on the Isle."

"You just called Carlos your best friend literally a minute ago." Evie opened her mouth to protest, then closed it. Evie ignored Demetria's smug grin, instead opening up her notebook to look at her schedule again. "All I'm saying is that Mal could stand to be more civil."

Evie shook her head. "It's not her fault. Being mean and rotten and nasty is the first thing you have to learn to survive the Isle. And well, Mal has always been the worst of the worst."

"But you and Jay and Carlos act friendly with each other."

"Well, they're- I mean, I-ugh! Just- just forget it, okay! It's not like it's any of your business!" Evie snapped.

Demetria recoiled at Evie's glare and placed her hand on her shoulder comfortingly. Demetria frowned briefly when Evie shrugged it off, instead looking at the blue haired girl softly. "I know we just met and all, but I care about you and think of you as a friend. And I look after my friends."

Evie's eyes widened at the demigoddess' statement. No one besides Carlos had called Evie a friend and meant it. Jay had hinted at it from time to time, instead stealing little things here and there for her to make her smile. And Mal- well, Mal _had_ lightened up since the whole birthday invite snub, contrary to what Demetria thought. Sure Mal didn't like the same things that Evie did. Nor did she really take in interest in Evie. And yeah, Mal could be pretty rotten to her, but they were from the Isle! By Isle standards, she and Mal were best friends!

Demetria just didn't understand. After all, the demigoddess called Ben her best friend, when they were obviously more than that. But Demetria had called her a friend and said she cared, after only knowing each other for a day. _She wouldn't feel that way if she knew why I was really here_ , Evie thought sullenly.

Demetria was lost in thought, wondering if she had pushed too soon and too hard. No, she knew she had pushed too hard. She wasn't exactly the most subtle or gentle when broaching touchy subjects like Ben did. She usually went in headfirst and made a mess of things. _Like right now._ Because Evie had been right. She and Evie had just met and she had no right to question Mal and Evie's friendship.

(Even if she did think that Mal was less of Evie's friend and more of her bully.)

Shaking her head, Demetria pulled Evie to a stop, regarding the girl with a gentle smile. "Look, I know it's not really my place to question your relationship with Mal, but I just… something about her rubs me the wrong way. And as you can see, I can get overprotective."

"Over protective ? Of me?"

"Like I said you're my friend." Demetria said, smiling sheepishly at Evie "Or I'd like us to be."

"I'd like that too." Evie admitted.  The girls smiled broadly at each other, before resuming their walk happily. "So if we're friends now, does that mean you'll admit to having a crush on Ben?"

"No, we're going to talk about the awesome dress that you're wearing."

"It's not a dress; it's a matching jacket and skirt. Now about you and Ben-"

"Wow, that's really cute! Where'd you get it from?"

"I made it. Now-"

"Wait, seriously? You actually made that?" Evie nodded in exasperation, though it soon melted away at the amazed look Demetria gave her "That's amazing, Evie! Where'd you learn how to sow like that? I mean, that looks really intricate."

"My mommy taught me; she said it'd be beneficial for me to find a prince."

"Doubtful." Demetria muttered underneath her breath, then continued louder "Did you make the design too?"

"I sure did-I design and make all of our clothes, actually."

"That… that is amazing, Evie!" Demetria repeated astounded. She laughed at the hair flip Evie did, then looked at her curiously. "You know, Ben and I had planned on taking you guys shopping for clothes sometime over the weekend, but if you prefer making your own clothes, I could look into getting you what you need."

"Wait really? You mean it?"

"Of course I do!" she said, then paused as the bell rang. Demetria turned to Evie with a wide smile that the shorter girl quickly returned just as enthusiastic. "So our free period just started and as juniors we have the ability to leave school grounds with Fairy Godmother's permission. So how about you and I head to the mall, grab you a sowing machine and anything else you need!"

Demetria startled as Evie hugged her, though she quickly hugged back laughing. "Come on let's-woah!" Demetria let go of Evie to steady Ben, who came around the corner frantically. "Where's the fire, Benji?"

"By the Gods, Demi, I wish there was a fire. I'd rather deal with that than this." he grumbled. At Demetria's bemused look and Evie's shocked one, he continued "There's an emergency meeting for the Council of Sidekicks and dad wants me there."

"But don't you have classes?"

"Yes, but he wants me to experience what it'll be like when I'm king and something like this happens." he told Evie.

"And I want to experience slapping some sense into your dad, but you don't see me doing it."

Ben smiled briefly, before catching sight of the time. "Crap, I gotta go." he groaned "Chip's gonna be here any second  and I'm nowhere near ready."

"Benji, you need to calm down." Demetria instructed as she held him firmly by the shoulders "What do you need to do before you leave?"

"I have to drop off all my homework that's due today, drop off my backpack in my room- I was also going to change. Plus I need my notes from the last meeting, so that way I can have some kind of idea of what this meeting is about-"

"You don't know why they called the meeting?" asked Evie, frowning delicately at Ben's no. "Mommy always said that an uninformed king is the best kind of king, because that means anyone can pull a fast one of them without getting caught."

Ben blanched as Evie's words sank in, making Ben even more frantic. Because Evie was right- which meant the Evil Queen was right and that wasn't a can of worms Ben wanted to open at the moment- and going into this meeting blind would not only screw him over, but make him unprepared and unfit to be king. And he just got the Council to stop thinking that. By the Gods, how could he be so clueless? He was going to crowned king at the end of the month and here he was making rookie mistakes-

"Benjamin Florian, you need to breathe." Demetria commanded. As he did what he was told, Demetria gently rubbed his shoulders, continuing on much more softly "You're spiraling, λιακάδα, and that'll just make matters worse."

"Maybe it's a test? I know my mom would quiz me on things to make sure I'd be perfect for a prince."

"If it's a test then I've already failed-"

"Or maybe it's not a test, but a real emergency and your dad decided last minute to bring you along." said Demetria "And maybe- just maybe- you could call your dad back and ask for details? And by that I mean call you dad right now and get some details."

"I can't! I'm the future king-"

" _Exactly!_ You're the _future king_ , not the current! You going in unprepared isn't your fault, it's Adam's." she insisted "And while Evie is technically right, that doesn't make it your fault if someone tried to take advantage of you. Especially not at this point in the game."

Demetria watched as Ben nodded wearily, still not completely convinced, then exhaled sharply. "Okay, here's the plan: you call your dad and get the time, location and purpose. I'm going to call Chip and tell him I'm taking you to this meeting."

"Wait, really? Demi, are you sure?"

"Of course, I'm sure, sunshine. I'm faster than Chip, so this way you'll have more time to prep." she said dismissively, then turned to Evie "You don't mind if we postpone this till after school, do you?"

"Of course not! Oh- I can pick something out for you so you have more time to get yourself together!"

"Guys, I can't ask you-"

"You're not asking; we're telling you." Demetria interrupted, then smiled widely as she continued gently "It doesn't matter if you're a prince or a king or in between; I'm not going to just watch you struggle. You mean everything t me, so if I can help you in any shape or form, whether you want me to or not, I'm going to help."

Brown eyes locked onto green ones, conveying all the sincerity and affection that Demetria felt. Demetria gently squeezed Ben's shoulders reassuringly, smiling when he finally began to relax. "As long as I'm here, you'll never be alone in this."


	10. One step closer

Mal opened the bathroom door and found an unsuspecting Jane. A wicked smile blossomed on her face, though she quickly forced to into something more friendly, like the ones Evie and Demetria were constantly trading. The thought of Evie and Demetria's interactions made her want to barf, but she had to admit that watching them had given her an idea of how to act towards Jane. And if she wanted to get close to Fairy Godmother, she'd have to get close to Jane first. So she swallowed the bile down and walked closer to Jane.

"Hey!" Mal exclaimed, aiming for cheerful. The smaller girl let out a surprised squeak as she turned around and looked at Mal fearfully. As much as she wanted to revel in Jane's fright, she needed to come as nice and friendly _. Ugh._ " Jane, right? I've always loved that name- _Jane."_

"Uh, thanks? I really should be going-"

" _Don't go!_ " Mal all but screamed, causing Jane to press herself back against the sink in fear. She had thought Evie had been skittish before Mal finally accepted her into Mal's gang. But poison apples, she had barely done _anything_ to Jane and she wasn't even _trying_ to terrorize Jane like she been Evie. _If only I didn't need her_ , Mal thought sourly, wanting to make the girl squirm even more

Mal decided to try for something a little more sympathetic. If Jane was anything like her mother, or any Auradonian for that matter, the girl was probably a sucker for a good sob story. "I was just…  just thought that maybe we could be friends. But you probably have all the friends you need, don't you?"

Instead of the sympathy she was expecting, Jane seemed to deflate pitifully. "Hardly."

"Really?" she asked, genuinely surprised, as she moved closer to the girl. "I would've thought you'd have plenty! With your mom being Fairy Godmother and headmistress. And don't forget your own, um, personality."

 _I should've had Jay or Evie do this_ , she thought. She might not be a people person or even a nice person, but she knew 'personality' wasn't the stellar compliment anyone wanted, hero or villain. But Jane didn't seem to mind. She was just happy someone found _something_ nice about her.

It may have been only the second week of school, but freshmen year was already proving to be tough, and by tough, she meant lonely. The friends she had in middle school had already found new friends and cliques and after school activities, leaving the Fairy Godmother's daughter behind. And Chad, well; truth be told, Jane didn’t even recognize her god-cousin anymore.

"I'd rather be pretty. You've got great hair."

Mal regarded the ends of her hair unimpressed. She hadn't done much with it; just a simple spell to get Evie off her-

 _Oh_.

"You know, I have just the thing for that!" she exclaimed showing the younger girl her spell book.

Jane looked between the spell book and Mal in silent fear. Growing up in Auradon, Jane had never really witnessed magic before. At least, not in the way it had been used before the Isle. No, magic had all but retired in Auradon and now here was Mal about to use magic on her.

Wait.

_Mal was about to use magic on her!_

Jane opened her mouth to do something- anything- to stop Mal, when the VK looked up at her triumphantly. "Aha! Here it is!" she giggled as she read from the book. " _Beware, foreswear! Replace the old with brand new hair!_ "

Mal smiled genuinely, watching as Jane's head went this way and that as she casted the spell. She forced herself not to let her laugh be cocky, but rather to keep her laugh light and airy and smile daintily _like a prissy pink princess, ugh_. Mal gave herself a mental pat on the back as Jane's head popped back up, now sporting long and loose curls.

She followed behind an awestruck Jane as they observed her new hair. " _Wow!_ " Mal said, genuinely impressed, with her handiwork that is. "You almost don't notice… your other features anymore!"

Mal felt downright giddy when Jane turned that awed look from her reflection to Mal. It had been all to easy to win over Fairy Godmother's daughter. Now all she needed was to find a way to bring up the wand and-

"Do my nose next!"

 _Well that was easy,_ Mal thought as she looked at Jane in false sympathy. "I can't. I've been practicing, but I can't do really _big_ magic." she explained gesturing to Jane's face, quietly enjoying the insecurity that flashed through the girl's eyes. She probably _could_ fix Jane's nose and have the girl indebted to her, but there was something about luring both mother and daughter under false pretenses and stealing the wand under their nose seemed _so much sweeter_. "Not like your mom, that is. I mean, with one flick of that thing and you could have any features you want, right?"

"Mom doesn't really use the wand anymore."

"That sucks." Mal muttered, then much louder asked "Doesn't she love you?

"Of course she does! Well she's more focused on self love, you know? Focus on the inside, not on the outside." she defended. Don't get her wrong; Jane was grateful for what Mal did, but Mal didn't know her mom. Jane knew her mother loved her, no questions asked, but she also knew that her mother didn't quite understand Jane's plight.

" _There! That's the face!_ " Mal exclaimed startling Jane. At her confused look, Mal mimicked Jane's frown, but widened her eyes a bit more and spoke in a soft tone. "But mother, I don't see why you can't make me beautiful too." Mal dropped the act and regarded Jane with a teasing smile "I mean, after all, that's what old Cindy did and your mom bibbidi bobbidi the living daylight out of her, right?"

Jane laughed at the joke, surprising herself, and nodded along. Sure, it wasn't quite what happened, but it was still rather funny. Mal moved closer to Jane, smiling when the girl didn't shy away, but smiled at Mal sweetly- trustingly. _Like a lamb to the slaughter,_ Mal thought. "And, hey, if your mom does break you the wand, you'll invite me, won't you?"

"If I can convince mom, you're so there!" Jane promised, completely unaware that she had all but signed a deal with the Devil.

* * *

Contrary to Ben's worries, it hadn't taken Demetria and Ben long to get to Beast castle. Granted, Demetria had flown, allowing them to avoid traffic and whatnot. "Here we are!" she announced. Demetria landed on the front steps and placed Ben down on his feet. "And I'm pretty sure you have  time to spare."

"I have about an hour actually." said Ben as he smoothed down his tie. Not that he needed to; Evie had tied it for him perfectly. He made a mental note to get a thank you gift for her and Demetria. He smiled warmly at Demetria as he took her hands, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. "Thank you, Demi. I don't know how I'd do this without you."

"You’d be just fine. But to be safe, maybe hire a secretary or assistant or both." she teased "Either way, I'll be by your side every step of the way." she grinned as she cupped his cheek with her free hand "It's you and me forever and even after it."

"Yeah… yeah it is, isn't it?" Ben said softly, as he gazed at her. He took a deep breath as he pulled away and rolled his shoulders. "Okay, I can do this."

"Duh, this isn't your first rodeo." she teased while Ben shook his head nervously "Benji, you don't have to worry, okay? You're going to rock this meeting!"

"That's not what I'm worried about?"

"Is it about what Evie said? Because while she makes a good point, it's also something that you know to look out for. And even if you do mess up around the edges, it's not the end of the world. You'll just pick yourself up, learn and-"

"I couldn't do this without you." Ben interrupted in a rush. Demetria cocked her head to the side confused, while Ben laughed breathlessly. _Oh Gods, I'm going to do it,_ he thought slightly hysterical. _Of all the times for me to do this, I'm going to do it right now._

"Don't sell yourself short, Benji."

"You don't get it. I couldn't do this without you, because I don't _want_ to do this with anyone who's not you." he said firmly. She swallowed as Ben took a step closer, taking her hands in his. "Demetria, you are my best friend in the whole world. But I-I was thinking that maybe… maybe we could be, well, uh, _more_ than that."

Ben waited with baited breath as Demetria stared at him wide eyed, before rambling on. "I mean, I still want to be best friends with you. I was just thinking that maybe we could do both! I mean be best friends and boyfriend and girlfriend! That's what I meant, by the way- I want to be best friends and boyfriend and girlfriend. But it's okay if you don't want to do both! We can stay best friends and it totally be fine! I mean that, honestly. I just-"

Ben blinked before looking down at the hand Demetria clasped over his mouth, trying to will his heartbeat to slow. It was fine. It's not like he had possibly jeopardized his friendship with his oldest best friend. Nope, everything was fine.

Or it would be if Demetria said something.

Demetria's heart had stopped at Ben's words, though it soon restarted and went into hyper-drive when she caught sight of the look in his eyes. He looked as if she had hung the entire galaxy with her bare hands. He looked at her as if she hung the moon, the sun and the stars. He looked at her as if she was his queen and he was waiting for her orders. She had never seen him look at her so intensely and passionately and-and-

Lovingly. He looked at her as if he loved her.

"You… you want to date? Date me?" Demetria blinked at Ben's muffled answer, before removing her hand with a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

 _I just don't want to date you; I want to spend the rest of my life with you_. Ben pushed that thought aside; he could tell her that later on, he hoped. "Yes, I want to date you."

"Oh." she said dumbly. Her stomach twisted in knots as Ben's words sunk in. Ben wanted to date her. _Ben wanted to date her!_ Donna had been right! And so had Herkie. And Delilah. And Evie and a lot of other people, but that didn't matter! What mattered was Ben wanted to date her- to be with her. Ben felt the same way she did.

Not that Ben knew that because she still hadn't relayed that information yet.

"Demi?"

"Yes? I mean, yeah! I-" Demetria cut herself off and shook her head, then smiled at Ben breathlessly. "Yes, I want to date you too."

"Yeah? Good! Great!" he laughed wildly for a moment, laughing harder when Demetria joined in. "Okay, uh, how about we have lunch on Saturday? About 1?"

"That sounds perfect!"

"Your highness!" The two turned to see Lumiere striding towards them. Lumiere took in the duo's blushing cheeks and smitten eyes, the grinned to himself. _Chip owes me twenty bucks_ , the maître'd thought smugly. "Ben, Demetria; the meeting will be beginning in about twenty minutes."

"I'll be right there, Lumiere; thank you." Ben said, then turned back to Demetria smiling happily. "That's my cue."

"Just remember that you have trained for this your whole life. And not only do you have the brains, but the heart for it as well. You're going to be just fine."

"I won't let you down."

"You couldn't even if you wanted to. Now go on; you've got a meeting to crush and a council to soothe." she pulled him into a quick hug and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, pulling back blushing lightly. "Good luck out there, Benji. You'll do great!"

Demetria watched Ben go, a wide and giddy smile on her face. She watched Ben and Lumiere go until they were out of sight, before all but skipping out of the castle.


	11. Just a little change

Evie couldn't help the wide smile that was etched onto her face.  She knew her mother would've disapproved if she knew, but Evie thought the wrinkles would be worth it as she watched Chad Charming walk away. Not only had the handsome son of Cinderella-and only son, making him the _only heir_ \- had invited Evie to meet up with him after their chemistry class, but he had asked to see her _again_. Sure she had to do his homework so that way he could have time, but she could do that easily with the aide of her magic mirror.

Oh, she couldn't wait to tell Demetria when she came back to school! The taller girl might've been afraid to go after her own prince, but Evie didn't share the hesitancy. How could she? Her mother was counting on her to get a prince and Chad was ready for the taking! Her stomach gave a little twist at the thought of her mother, but the blue haired girl made herself relax. She would ensnare Chad and help Mal get the wand, ensuring her mother's freedom and make her mother proud.

She hoped.

"So, I couldn't help but overhear-" Evie yelped in surprise. She whirled around to find Doug sitting on the bleachers, looking down at her hopefully.

"Are you stalking me?"

"Technically… yes?" Evie took a deep breath through her nose and forced herself to remain calm as Dopey's son continued on. _Oh that wouldn't do,_  Evie thought sourly. She would deal with that as soon as she got him to shut up. "But anyways, I heard you talking about Fairy Godmother's wand! I too am fascinated with the wand! You must be excited to see it at coronation. I know I am! Well, I'm excited for the rest of coronation too. Did you know it's the first-"

"What are you talking about?" Evie snapped at Doug, as he scrambled down from the bleachers clumsily. Evie shook her head lightly and stepped closer to Doug with a disarming smile. "Fairy Godmother will have her wand at coronation?"

"Yes, uh-huh! She, uh, she uses it to bless Ben, as per tradition." Doug stumbled over his words as Evie moved closer "Maybe, uh, maybe we could sit together? To compare notes on the wand?"

Evie hummed thoughtfully, storing the information away. Right now, Doug had finally gone quiet, staring at her with wide, hopeful eyes and Evie was eager to address his earlier arrival.  She flashed him a coy smile, as one hand drifted down to her purse.

"You know, if we were on the Isle right now, I would've stabbed you for sneaking up on me?" At the frightened look he gave, Evie nodded in mock sympathy. "See, while being sneaky and stealthy are resourceful traits to have, if you use them against the wrong person? You've just walked yourself into a _very nasty and messy predicament_."

"Oh, uh, you-uh- I mean, that's definitely a, uh, issue for sure. But you-you've never actually… you know, right?"

"Mmm, a few times actually." she admitted, as she brandished her trusty pair of scissors. She kept her expression perfectly calm as she swung the scissors around her finger. She was the complete opposite of Doug, who looked two seconds away from fainting. Not that Evie could blame him. Unlike the scissors she used for her clothing, these scissors were rusted and old, with a tip as sharp as Gaston's best hunting knife. "Just every now and then. Mainly when someone didn't get the message."

"M-message?"

"About personal space." she deadpanned, as she looked Doug dead in the eyes and took a step closer to Doug, smiling innocently as she straightened his bow tie with her free hand. "But I doubt that'll be a problem now that I'm here, right?"

"Yeah- _yes!_ Absolutely!" Doug squeaked. He looked down at his shoes, before looking up at Evie with wide eyes and apologetic. "I'm- I'm sorry, Evie. Really I am. It won't happen again, _I swear_."

Evie took in the teen's remorseful and sincerity look- and why the hell did everyone here so damn sincere? Even Audrey was sincere with how much she didn't like Evie!- and took pity on him. _Damn Auradon and it's people's sincerity_ , she thought tiredly. "I'll let it go- _just this once_ \- and it better not happen again." she warned as she slipped the scissors back in her bag.

"I won't, Evie! I promise!"

Evie rolled her eyes in fond exasperation as she walked away. Now that she had taken care of that, she had to go find Mal. The coronation would be the perfect time to snatch the wand, but also the worst. Evie doubted that they would be guarding it as heavily like at the museum. It would have to be easily accessible for Fairy Godmother to bless Ben.

But on the other hand, the wand would most likely be as close to Fairy Godmother so she could bless Ben. Meaning the wand would be close to Ben too, as well as anyone else who would be deemed important enough. Most likely Ben's parents; Demetria would probably be close by too.

Her heart twisted a little at the thought of having to go face to face with Demetria over the wand, but she quickly stamped it out. She meant what she said about wanting to be friends with Demetria, but she also knew that their friendship came with a expiration date.

 _Speak of the demigoddess_ , the blue haired girl thought wryly as she heard Demetria call out to her. Evie looked around for Demetria in confusion, not seeing the girl anywhere on school grounds.

"I'm up here!" Evie looked up at the sky and immediately squealed in shock as Demetria flew down in front of her. Evie looked back up at the air and back down at Demetria, making the latter laugh. "Did I not mention I could fly?"

"No, you did not!" Evie agreed, before gaping "Wait- did you fly Ben all the way to Beast Castle?!"

"Well yeah. It's not like I have a driver's license or anything." she shrugged off Evie's gob smacked look "Look, I've done it before and I'll probably do it again in the future- but that's not important!"

"It kind of is! It's not like Ben is tiny like Carlos or Mal! He's like the same height as you are! How could you carry him all that way?"

"Above average strength and stamina comes with the demigod package." said Demetria impatiently. The demigoddess grabbed Evie by the shoulders in a firm, yet gentle grip, leaning down so she could make eye contact with the shorter girl. "I have to tell you something very important and I need your full attention!"

If anyone asked-namely Mal- she would deny how worried and concerned Demetria's words made her. She shook off her curiosity and nodded her head rapidly. "You have my attention. What's wrong, Demetria?"

"Nothing's wrong! But Evie you'll never believe what just happened! I-"

"Demetria!"

The two turned to see Audrey coming over with Delilah and Evie's lips tugged downwards. She hadn't forgotten what the princess had said to her yesterday and she wasn't too keen to let it go like she had with Doug. _It also helped that Doug apologized,_ Evie thought bitterly. _Though Mal never apologized either_ , a voice that sounded eerily like Demetria reminded her. 

She blinked the thought away, instead donning her usual calm mask as the two got closer. She couldn't help but narrow her eyes when Audrey regarded her in displeasure. The look was gone as soon as Audrey realized Evie was looking, replaced by a sunny smile that she directed at Demetria.

"Demetria, hi!" Audrey greeted as she pulled the taller girl for a hug and away from Evie. "I was hoping I would run into you! Especially since I didn't see you in class."

If Audrey wanted to act as if Evie wasn't there, that was fine. More than fine! _Two can play that game._ Evie smiled wide and easy, her mother's rules be damned, as she linked her arm through Demetria's and tucked herself into Demetria's side. And more importantly, right in front of Audrey. "Hi Delilah! What were you up to?"

"Oh, uh, I was talking to Audrey about cheer try outs! Audrey thinks I have a good chance."

"I _know_ you have a good chance!" Audrey said smiling reassuringly, though it soon turned cocky as she turned to address Evie. "I _have_ been cheer captain since freshman year, after all."

"Wow, how do you do it, Audrey? I mean, doesn't being a cheerleader require a lot of physical effort and memorization and whatnot? And you are simply a princess, after all." Evie said with wide eyes.

Evie hid her amusement as Audrey's nostrils flared in anger briefly. "It's not hard at all." Audrey gritted out, before smiling primly. "I was taught from a very young age to be able to handle anything life throws at me. Like all _true princesses_  learn to do."

A silence echoed between the four girls as Demetria and Delilah stared wide eyed between a seething Evie and a serene Audrey. After a tense moment, Demetria laughed hesitant and shaky. "So, uh, funny story-"

"Oh yes! Demetria was right about to tell me when you came over-"

"Well actually I wanted to tell Delilah and Audrey-"

" _Precisely!_ Now since _I_ was the one she wanted over-"

"Well I wanted all three of you, Evie included-"

" _Exactly!_ I was wanted here! Meanwhile you just rudely interrupted-"

" _I did not!_ "

" _You did too!_ "

"I literally just said I wanted _all three of you-_ "

Delilah let out a sharp whistle causing the girls to stop and look at her. Delilah shrugged off their incredulous look, instead fixing them with a pointed look. "It was the only way I could think of to make you two stop." huffed Delilah "Whatever Demetria wanted to say, she wanted to say it to _all three of us_."

"Which I would be more than happy to do if you two would give me the chance." Demetria added irritably.

Audrey and Evie eyed each other warily, but stayed quiet and Demetria decided it was the closest she would get to civility. "Now what I've been trying to tell you is that I have a date. With Ben."

There was a silence between the four girls and for a moment, Demetria thought they were still too caught up in their spat to hear her. But then she was smothered in hugs and squeals, earning them odd looks from the other students. Demetria pulled away, laughing breathlessly to look at her beaming friends. "Oh, I'm so happy for you! You have to tell us everything!" Audrey demanded as Delilah nodded her head eagerly and Evie clapped her hands excitedly. "How did it happen? Did you ask- wait, no. Who am I kidding- Ben obviously asked."

"What do you mean 'Ben obviously asked'?!"

"Oh honey." Evie cooed sympathetically, though there was mirth in her eyes "Didn't you all but freak out when I asked if you and Ben were a thing?"

"No! Well, I mean, yes-but-"

"And it's not like you've tried to make a move either." added Audrey smirking.

Demetria looked between the two before turning to Delilah, who shrugged with an amused smile. They _did_ have a point. "When's the date, Dems?"

"Saturday."

Squeals rang out once more, but instead of them being joyous, they were squeals of anger. " _Demetria Sophia Prince-Trevor!_ That is _not_ enough time!"

"What are you talking about, Auds? The date's on Saturday- it's _Tuesday_."

"Precisely!" Audrey exclaimed confusing Delilah even more, while Evie looked over Demetria thoughtfully.

"Never fear- Evie is here! I can take care of every-"

" _Actually_ , as both Demetria's best friend, I'm sure that she would want me to help her."

"Well I'm sure that both Demetria would appreciate a more _fresh and unique take_." Evie said snidely, eyeing the princess' pink sweater and lacy white skirt with disdain, before smiling mockingly "And as Demetria's new best friend I think I should be the one to that."

"Since when are _you_ Demetria's best friend?"

"Since she asked me to be this morning."

"Wait, what?!" Audrey demanded, looking at Demetria affronted " _I'm your best friend!_ "

"Audrey-"

"Not anymore apparently."

"Evie-"

 _"How dare you-_ "

_"Oh I dare alright!"_

"Could you guys-"

The girls stopped and covered their ears with a shriek as Delilah let out another sharp whistle. If it could even be called that. Delilah clasped her hand over her mouth, flushed in embarrassment, as she took in the pain on her friends' faces. She began to speak, only for it to come out as another high cry. The shorter girl clasped her hand over her mouth, eyes wide in surprise.

"Dee? Dee, are you okay?" Demetria asked as she took a step to the black haired girl, who took a hesitant step back. "Delilah?"

Delilah cleared her throat, then muttered under her breath to herself before turning back to Demetria. "Sorry guys. I, uh, that's never happened before."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I-I think so…" Delilah hesitated, before nodding firmly "Yeah, I'm good."

Demetria nodded briefly, then turned to Audrey and Evie, only to find them at each other's throat again. "Are you two serious?" she demanded gaining their attention "Hot take: I'm allowed to have more than one best friend, but that's not what this is about, now is it?"

Neither Audrey nor Evie answered her, but the pointed glares they gave one another was enough. Demetria groaned annoyed while Delilah shook her head. "To be clear, I view both of you as my best friends, but this shit has got to stop." she said, then focused on Audrey. "Audrey, what you said to Evie yesterday was _beyond_ not okay. It was mean and cruel and you know it."

Audrey flushed in embarrassment, crossing her arms in front of her defensively. "Well excuse me for trying to make sure my best friend didn't end up with the same fate as Queen Snow White's father." the princess snapped.

At the mention of both Snow White father-and possibly Evie's father? Step-father? Demetria didn't quite know how that relation worked- the blue haired girl's face darkened, before smoothing out into a blank mask. "I'm flattered you think so highly of me."

Audrey looked at Demetria with a wild look, which Demetria pointedly ignored. " _Evie_."

"What? I'm just finishing what _her royal highness_ was too chicken to finish."

"Well I've had enough of it!" Demetria snapped, making both girls jump back. A groan left the brunette as she looked heavenward. " _Great Rhea, help me_." Taking a deep breath, Demetria looked back at the two and fixed them with a stern look. "Look, I get that you thought you were protecting Ben, but you were unnecessarily rude about and have been ever since. Evie is _not_ her mother, Audrey, and deserves the chance to live her life without being judge for her mother's actions."

"And Evie, while I know that Audrey was rude first, you could always be the bigger person and not rise to it. Spoiler alert, but one of the things that Fairy Godmother is going to teach you, is that sometimes you have to let things go, even if someone wrongs you and doesn't apologize." she told a petulant Evie.

"Although, it doesn’t have to be that way." Delilah piped in with a playful smile "You guys could apologize and, oh I don't know, give being friends a shot?"

"Or at the very least be civil with one another."

There was a long silence as they let Demetria and Delilah's words sink in, Audrey especially. She _knew_ Demetria was right, she had known it as soon as the words had left her mouth yesterday. But Audrey had been _scared_. When Ben had first told her about his plan, she had been too focused on the daughter of her parents' worst enemy being here in Auradon.Mal was the daughter of the Mistress of all Evil, it had had been easy, for a lack of a better word, to forget about the other villain kids. 

But then Evie had introduced herself to Ben, and Audrey had understood how King Georg had fallen for the Evil Queen. With her soft, yet husky voice and fluttering eyes, Evie could have anyone eating out of the palm of her hands. If it wasn't for the fact that Ben only had eyes for Demetria, Audrey was sure her best friend would have fallen for the Evil Queen's daughter.

But that didn't matter right now. What mattered was that Demetria was right. She turned towards Evie, ignoring how her stomach churned uneasily as they made eye contact and squared her shoulders. "Demetria's right. I... I've been rude and mean, when you haven't truly done any harm." she admitted. She hesitated for a moment, before continuing softly "I'm sorry, Evie. Could you forgive me?"

"Yes, I forgive you." Evie said surprising them both. If she had been back on the Isle she would've been condemned and mocked for forgiving Audrey- Doug too. Poison apples, she didn't want to think about what would happen if Mal or her mother caught wind of this- but it had been relatively easy to accept Audrey's apology.

Audrey blinked once, before nodding once and looking away. Evie smoothed down her skirt, pointedly ignoring Demetria's fond eye roll and Delilah's soft smile. "We'll come up with a plan for your date after classes." Evie said instead, then glanced to Audrey briefly "After Audrey and Delilah are done with cheer try outs, I mean."

"Sounds like a plan."


	12. New do, new you

From Benji:

**_Hey Demi! Thanks again for dropping my off for meeting. It went really well! Chip dropped me back off, but I have to head over to tourney practice. Jay and Carlos are trying out- isn't that great! I'll try and catch up with you afterwards!_ **

**_Love, Benji_ **

"What's with the face?" Demetria looked up from her phone at Evie. They were laying on Evie's bed as the blue haired girl designed an outfit for Demetria to wear on her date. As they waited for Audrey and Delilah to finish at try outs, the two made a quick trip to the mall so Evie could begin designing an outfit for Demetria's date.

Demetria had told Evie it wasn't necessary, but Evie had insisted, stating that she needed the experience of designing for someone who wasn't her, Carlos, Jay or Mal. She was excited to step out of her comfort zone and see what she could come up with for Demetria. And as Evie prodded and collaborated with Demetria, the brunette found herself excited to see what Evie came up with as well.

Demetria had never been one for dressing up, at least not in the way Evie and Audrey preferred, living by the idea of dressing in whatever made her comfortable. But Evie was creating a design with Demetria's input. Not that Demetria had ever had a hand in designing her clothes- that was Audrey's area of expertise- but she trusted Evie to handle it. 

Demetria blinked in surprise as her phone was snatched from her. She whipped around to glare at Evie, who was reading the text with a shit eating grin. " _Awww!_   This is so cute!"

"Evie, give that back!"

"Make me!" Evie raised a mocking brow, before squealing in surprise when Demetria threw herself at Evie. Evie rolled out of the way, grabbing a pillow as she went and smacked Demetria in the head. The demigoddess blinked once, then smirked. Demetria grabbed a pillow as well and threw the pillow at Evie with a war cry, knocking the blue haired girl off the bed.

"Evie? _Evie!_ " Demetria leaned over the bed to look down at Evie in horror. The blue haired girl blinked in surprise, then threw her head back in laughter. Demetria let out a sigh at relief, before dissolving into laughter as well.

"What are you two doing?" The two girls looked up to find Mal in the doorway, looking at them in exasperation. "On second thought, I don't care."

"Of course not." Demetria muttered to herself. She helped up Evie, who looked flustered, but was trying to hide it, when something caught her eye. "Jane? Jane, what happened to your hair?"

Jane twirled a strand of her new hair, with a shy smile as she entered the room. "Mal did it for me." she said, before continuing hesitantly "Do you… do you like it?"

"She did?" asked both girls. Demetria and Evie looked between Mal and Jane in disbelief, though Evie's quickly morphed into understanding when she recalled Mal's plan from earlier. The plan for Fairy Godmother's wand. Right. Evie shook her head slightly, before speaking. "Well, it's definitely a step up from what you were sporting earlier."

"You look wonderful, Jane. You always have and always will." reassured Demetria with a small smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes "Though I'm curious. How _did_ Mal make your hair longer?"

Jane bit her lip hesitantly as Mal closed the door behind them. "I used magic, obviously." Mal said dismissively, as she made her way to her bed. At the silence that followed, she looked up to see Demetria frowning at her. "Problem?"

"Magic is… _retired,_ for lack of a better word _,_ in Auradon since there isn't much of a need for it." Demetria explained slowly "After all, most things that we need magic for are-"

"Locked up tight on the Isle?"

"Able to be solved _without_ magic, especially if it's something trivial like a makeover."  She continued ignoring Mal's sarcastic jibe.

Mal  gave Demetria a saccharine smile as she laid on her bed. "Trivial? And here I thought you Auradonians were all about _helping_ each other and boosting each other up." she said with a mock frown "I was only trying to make Jane feel better about herself. I would've kept to myself if I knew I would've gotten accosted for it."

"I'm not accosting you for being kind, Mal. I'm glad you're making friends and trying to help them, but you don't need to use magic to do so." She turned to Jane and smiled softly "If you wanted to do something different with your look, you could've come to me or Delilah or Audrey. We would've figured something out without magic, as to not upset your mom."

Jane let out a soft groan at the mention of her mother and Demetria assumed that Fairy Godmother already knew. "Mom's says I can keep it, but she's not happy about it." Jane sighed "She says if a boy can't see your worth, then he's not worth it. What world is she living in?"

"Auradon?" Mal mocked as she doodled away.

"Hang on a sec. You did all of that for a boy?" Demetria asked in disbelief. At Jane's nod, Demetria shook her head and dragged Jane into a fierce hug. " _Great Rhea_. You're mother is right, Jane. You don't need to change yourself for a boy, Jane."

"That's easy for you to say." murmured Jane as she pulled away. At Demetria's questioning glance, Jane became flustered "You're just so- well, you.  You're practically every guys' dream girl."

"She's not wrong." Evie sang as she moved to her sowing machine. 

Demetria glared at Evie, but Jane nodded in agreement. "You're strong, smart, funny, beautiful and a demigoddess. Meanwhile, I'm just plain old Jane."

"You are anything but plain." Demetria protested "You're smart, funny and beautiful too. Not to mention a great dancer and super organized."

"Because that's what every guy wants. Someone who's super organized."

Jane let out a soft whine as she plopped down beside Mal. "I'm never going to get a boyfriend."

"Boyfriends are overrated."

Demetria bit her tongue as she fought back the urge to demand where Mal's 'help' was going, when Evie spoke up. "How would you know, M? You've never had one." Evie teased.

"Because I don't need one." Mal gritted out, ignoring Demetria and Evie's chuckles. Jane patted the purple haired girl's shoulder in solidarity and Mal repressed the urge to shove it off. "They're a waste of time."

"Oh no! I forgot about Chad's homework!"

"Told you."

"Excuse me?"

Demetria and Jane exchanged bewildered looks, as the blue haired girl began rifling through a brown backpack that definitely did not belong to Evie. "Uh, Evie? What're you doing with Chad's homework?" Demetria asked, trying not to sound accusing.

"Oh I forgot tell you, didn't I?" Evie blinked "Chad asked me to hang out with him, but he's super busy. So I'm doing both of our homework so we can spend time together."

Demetria, Jane and Mal stared at Evie blankly, when Mal began to laugh. "Poison apples, E! Not only did you just prove my point, but also just showed how _dumb_ you are!"

"Knock it off, Mal! She got tricked!"

" _By a prince from Auradon!_ " Mal laughed nastily "Oh, if only you're mother could see you now! I can't tell if she'd-"

"You need to shut the hell up, right now." Demetria seethed. Jane got up with  a squeal and scurried over to stand behind Evie in fright, though she did squeeze the older girl's shoulder sympathetically.

Mal raised a brow defiantly, more than ready to annoy Demetria further, when the door swung open. All four girls turned to new occupant who entered, blissfully unaware of the tense atmosphere. "Hi guys! I'm Lonnie! You know, Mulan's daughter?" At the silence that answered her, Lonnie simply shrugged and continued on. "No? Well, anyways, I love what you did with Jane's hair and was wondering if you'd do the same for me!"

"And why would I do that?"

"I'll pay you fifty bucks."

"Sold!" Evie exclaimed, taking the bag from Lonnie gleefully. She opened the bag and counted the coins with a smirk, her earlier embarrassment forgotten. "I wanted to pick up some new fabrics anyways!" She turned back to Lonnie, looking over her black hair that was cut into a bob. If Evie hadn't known better, she would've sworn that clunky bobs were a common style in Auradon.

But where Jane's bob had been cute, in a nerdy sort of way, Lonnie's didn't fit her face _at all_. Though it was nothing Evie couldn't handle _. And this way Mal won't use magic and get in trouble_ , Evie thought. Jane had been a necessary risk, they need her for the wand after all, but Lonnie wasn't. "Here's what I'm thinking! We do some highlights and-"

"Actually, I want it to look cool. Like Mal's!" interrupted Lonnie.

Evie cocked her head to the side, as she regarded Lonnie's hair and then Mal's. "Really? You want her split ends too?" At the glare Mal threw her way, Evie held up the bag and shook it with a teasing smile.

" _Fine_. So long as someone doesn't get her toga in a twist."

"Hey if you want to ignore the rules and do magic, be my guest. Just don't whine when it bites you in the ass."

"Noted." Mal deadpanned, as she sat up on her bed, spell book in hand. She flipped it open to the spell and turned to Lonnie. " _Beware, foreswear! Replace the old with brand cool hair!_ "

Demetria watched with warily as Mal's magic forced Lonnie's head side to side sharply. She looked over at Evie and Jane, only to find both girls unfazed by the proceedings. The demigoddess finally relaxed when Lonnie's head snapped back up, seemingly no worse for wear. She briefly glanced over at Mal, only to find her looking at Lonnie softly.

While Mal knew the spell worked wonders, she had to admit that Lonnie's new do was surprising even to her. All she had done for Jane was change the length and add a little volume, nothing too major. But with Lonnie? Lonnie looked like a whole new person. Gone was the awkward black bob with bangs. In it's place were long wavy locks that were brown with highlights.

Mal looked away from Lonnie, only to find Demetria staring at her curiously. When the two girls met eyes, they smiled politely at each other before following after Evie and Jane, who had joined Lonnie at the mirror. "I know, _I know_. It looks like a mop on your head." Evie said sympathetically, making Demetria giggle and Mal roll her eyes "You know, let's cut it off, layer it-"

"No, no, no! I love it!"

"You do?" Evie asked in disbelief. She looked at Lonnie's reflection skeptically. It wasn't the look the blue haired girl had in mind, but she'd be lying if she said it wasn't a step up from her original look. She cast a quick glance at Demetria, only to receive a small shrug in return.

"It looks good on you, Lonnie." Demetria said, then hesitated slightly. Hadn't she just talked to Evie and Audrey about being the bigger person and civility? Demetria turned to Mal with a small smile and said "Nice work, Mal."

Mal blinked in surprise at the compliment, before giving Demetria a mocking smile. "And here I thought you were a stickler for rules."

 _So much for that,_ Demetria thought as she smiled coolly in response. Turning away from Mal, she turned her attention back to Lonnie and Evie. "So Lonnie, feeling cool yet?"

"Mmm, not quite yet…" Lonnie trailed off. Her hair definitely looked a lot better, but she felt like there was something missing. Lonnie took in Evie and Mal's edgy and asymmetrical clothing and quickly got an idea. The daughter of Mulan grabbed the end of her skirt and ripped it up the side. "There! _Now_ I'm cool."

"Like ice." Mal mocked.

Jane bit her lip as she watched the older girls laugh, feeling left out. "I wanna be cool too!" she blurted out as she ripped her skirt as well. Jane blinked in surprise, before blushing in embarrassment as Mla laughed harder " _What did I just do?!_ Mom's gonna _kill me!_ "

Evie shushed the younger girl as she directed her to her sowing machine and away from Mal's laughter. "Come here. I'll have that stitched up good as new. Your mom will never know."

"And while you do that, I can give you a million and one reasons of why you can do better than Chad." Demetria told Evie.

"Chad? As in Chad Charming?" asked Lonnie. At Demetria's nodded, Lonnie's face lit up and she pulled out her phone. "Oh, I have so much dirt on Chad!" At the bewildered looks she got, Lonnie simply shrugged, smile firmly in place. "What? A girl's gotta have a weird hobby every once and awhile right?"

Demetria let out a snort, before picking up her own phone, intent on texting Ben back. Hopefully, he was having as much fun with Carlos and Jay.


	13. Boys and Non-binary tricksters will be boys and non-binary tricksters

_Tourney practice was definitely an unforgettable experience_ , Ben mused as he stretched his arms up in an attempt to crack his back. While the prince was excited to have Jay on the team, he wasn't excited to be on the opposite end of Jay's tackles.

The prince startled suddenly when hands landed on his back, pressing intently where the pain was. "Hey, wha- _oh!_ " Ben blinked in surprise as the pain faded. He turned to see Carlos staring back at him nervously. "Uh, thank you?"

"I'm used to Jay knocking me around a lot, so I figured out a way to knock the stiffness and pain and whatnot out." Carlos admitted bashfully.

"Well maybe while I help you prep for tourney, you can teach me. I don't know if I can handle both Jay _and_ Herkie every practice."

"Yeah, sure I- _wait_. What do you mean _prep for tourney?_ "

"Oh well, I'd figure we'd do some laps to start, then a few exercises to get you use to the tourney stick-"

"Wait a minute! _You were serious?!_ " Carlos asked, voice growing more and more shrill at the moment "You really want to help me make the tourney team?"

"Uh, yes? What makes you think I wouldn't?"

"Common sense." Carlos deadpanned, though his eyes widened as he realized what he had just said and who he said it to. "N-not that I think that you-you _don't_ have common sense! I'm sure you have _plenty!_ I mean, of course, you have common sense! _You're the king!_ Well, you will be-I mean-uh-"

"Carlos. Carlos, _relax._ I knew what you meant." laughed Ben. He grabbed a cup of water and passed one to Carlos as a peace offering "And I want to help you because I think you'd be good member of the team."

Carlos looked at Ben bewildered, before looking down at himself and then back at Ben, this time disbelieving. If they were back on the Isle-or literally anything other than tourney- Carlos could understand Ben's point. He was small and scrawny, allowing people to underestimate him. He might not have been as brawny or strong as Jay or Ben, but he wasn't defenseless. Living on the Isle had taught him how to fend for himself in a fight.

But Carlos wasn't dumb. He might now how to defend himself, but he knew his where his strengths lie. And his strengths were anything involving his brain, books or technology. He was of the intellectual variety, not physical!

"Are you sure? I mean, I know you're captain and all, but you've got Herkie and Chad and, well, everyone who's not me. Not to mention you have Jay now."

"That's true!" Ben and Carlos turned to see Jay coming over to them with Herkie. Jay smirked at them victoriously as he threw his arm around Ben's shoulder. "Check me out!"

"Congratulations, Jay! We're glad to have you join the Knights!"

"Yeah, I know."

"Modest as ever." Carlos muttered. Jay glared at Carlos, though it soon melted into a nasty smile that had Carlos regretting that he opened his mouth.

He backed up quickly, but not quick enough. His size might've allowed him to be quick, but Jay was quicker than most. The taller teen was able to grab Carlos in no time and trapped him a vicious chokehold. "Jay! _Jay, let me go!_ "

"Sorry what was that?" Jay teased mercilessly "Gotta speak up or break out!"

"Okay Jay, maybe you should ease up, yeah?" Ben asked with a hesitant laugh "I think that's-oh, okay, that's not good."

Ben and Herkie watched dubiously as Carlos got the upper hand and knocked Jay to the ground, though it was short lived as Jay used his size and mass to overpower the smaller boy. "Jay, Carlos- guys, please stop. You're going to hurt yourselves."

"Ugh, I thought you guys were done with all of the tackling." Ben and Herkie looked up as Loki approached with a distasteful look. "Had I known I would have continued with my project."

"Project? We haven't been assigned any projects?" Herkie asked.

"It was a… _personal_ project. Just don't be surprised if Mrs. Jaime no longer allows post-it notes in her class." Loki smirked. At Herkie's bemused look and Ben's exasperated look, Loki smiled cordially. "It's harmless, I assure you."

"Loki, we've talked about this. You can't prank the teachers."

"No, you said I cannot do pranks that affect the school as a whole or disrupts the educational process. I did neither of those." Loki insisted. Ben raised a skeptical brow, while Herkie nodded in agreement. Loki shrugged innocently, before holding out Ben's phone. "Any who, Jason has been calling you nonstop. I highly suggest you answer him."

"Wha-" Ben blinked in surprise as Loki held out his phone. Ben regarded the trickster with a glare as he took his phone back "Do I even want to know what you were doing with my phone?"

"I was playing the little emoji game."

"The same emoji game you also have on your own phone?"

"The very same." At the pointed look Ben gave, Loki shrugged "You have a larger collection of emojis than I."

Ben rolled his eyes, then turned to Herkie. "Please break those two up before they hurt themselves."

"You got it, Ben!"

Feeling satisfied that Herkie would ensure Jay and Carlos' wellbeing and that Loki would behave themselves, Ben walked off and checked his phone. True to Loki's word-and Ben's surprise- Jason had called multiple times within the past two hours. Ben couldn't help but worry as he called Jason back. While he was close with Jason, he knew that Demetria was the first person he would go to.

"Ben? Ben, is that you?"

"Yeah Jason, it's me."

"Oh thank fuck! Dude, I've been calling you for _hours!_ "

"I was at tourney practice, Jase." Ben reminded him gently, pushing his panic back. In the year that Ben has known Jason, he's never heard the Gothamite sound this anxious. "Jason, what's going on? Are you in trouble?"

"No. Well, not exactly. I- _fuck_." Jason cut himself grumbling, making Ben even more uneasy. "Apparently Catherine wasn't my real mom and I need you to tell Widow to find her for me."

Ben blinked once, then twice then let out a strangled ' _what_ '. The prince shook his head, then said "Jason, would you please start over? From the beginning preferably."

"I don't have time, Ben! I need to find her-"

"Jason, I can't begin to understand what you're going through, but I'm pretty sure that there's no time limit on finding your birth mother." Ben interrupted. At Jason's silence, Ben's stomach twisted uncomfortably. "Unless there's something I'm missing and I can't help but get the feeling there is."

More silence answered him and Ben was ready to speak, when Jason finally spoke up. "Bruce put in the paperwork for me to get adopted, but it got rejected because Catherine's not my mom. My real mom's name is Shelia Haywood and I need to find her so I- I just need to-I-I-"

"Jase, breathe, okay? You have to calm down and breathe, Jason." Ben instructed as Jason's breathing grew harsh and labored "Jason, please calm down."

"Ben, I have to find her! I just- I need to know why she left me with _him_! And- _and Bruce won't let me!_ He's not letting me in on finding her and _I need answers, Ben_. _I need them. I need-_ "

"To breathe, Jason. You need to breathe or else you're going to make yourself sick." Ben demanded, then continued softly "Just breathe with me, Jase. In and out; super loud and super obnoxious. Just your style."

Jason let out a wet laugh to Ben's relief and the prince guided Jason through some quick breathing exercises. He startled though, when Loki tapped his shoulder. He turned to find Loki staring worriedly at him and he gave them a hesitant smile back and mouthed 'I'll explain later'. Loki nodded once, before leaving Ben and going back to the others.

"Jason? Feeling any better?"

"A… a little."

"Good, that's good." Ben soothed "Look, I'll ask Widow and see what she can find, but I can't exactly guarantee results."

"She's _Black Widow_. What kind of badass super spy is she is she can't get results?"

"A badass super spy who does actual spy work and does not work for me." Ben reminded him. Ben looked skyward and sighed, then looked down at the ground. "I'll still ask her Jason, but she might be busy."

"Can you just-just ask her, Ben. _Please?_ "

"I will, Jason. I promise I'm going to do everything I can to help." Ben reassured.

"Thank you, Ben. I appreciate it- really I do." Jason sighed, finally sounding a little bit like himself again. "I'll, uh, I'll let you go, okay? Let you get back to tourney practice and school."

"Well, both of those things are over, so don't worry about it." Ben laughed, then frowned lightly "Hey Jason, have you told Demetria yet?"

Ben couldn't help but smile as Jason groaned " _No_. I freaked out and called you so you could call Widow." Jason whined "I'll tell her in a bit."

"Just make sure you tell her; she'll want to be there to support you."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Jason grumbled good naturedly "Hey, I gotta go, Ben. Thank you for your help."

"Hey, it's what I'm here for, Jase. I'll let you know what Widow says." Ben bid Jason goodbye and turned back to the rest of his friends, only to stop and stare.

Loki was seated on a nearby bleacher on their phone, which was not unusual. What was unusual was Herkie who held Carlos up by his ankle, while Jay was balanced on one hand on Herkie's _other hand_. "What are- what is happening right now?" Ben asked "Herkie, I said make sure they don't hurt themselves, not to encourage them."

"And I am! Loki's even spotting us! Aren't ya, Loki?"

Loki hummed noncommittally, eyes not leaving their phone. Ben made a distressed noise in the back of his throat. "I need to make another call. But while I do that, I expect those two to be _completely upright_. Got it?"

"Got it!" Carlos and Herkie chimed together, while Jay groaned in displeasure.

Ben rolled his eyes as he called up Natasha, hoping that she'd be willing to help him with this considering how personal this was. "Ben?"

"Hi Natasha. How are you?"

"Can't complain. Everything okay on your end?"

"Everything's wonderful, thanks. I hope I'm not bothering you."

Natasha hummed lightly on the other line. "Nothing too pressing." she replied "Though I have to admit I'm surprised that you called. I thought school and the VKs would keep you busy."

"Yeah, it's been a busy couple of days. But I actually have a favor to ask?"

"Oh?"

"It's uh, kind of personal."

"Hmm, finally decided you wanted to ask Demetria on a date? Cause I have a few ideas-"

"No, no, no! That's not-uh, I'd love to hear those ideas at a later date, but it's something else actually."

"What's up, Ben?" Ben bit his lip nervously, suddenly feeling unsure. Contrary to what Jason and Demetria thought, he wasn't exactly sure if he and Natasha were on a level where he could ask for personal favors, especially one like this. After all, Natasha had only originally helped because she found out. Sure, she might have had a personal tie to it, but if she hadn't have been spying on them- and why was she spying on them- she might not have helped them. "Ben? Come on already? You're making me nervous."

"Jason wants  his mom." he blurted out, then groaned "I mean, Jason wants to find his mom. His birth mom to be precise. If… that is, if you don't mind."

There was a beat of silence and for a moment Ben swore he pressed his luck, when Natasha said. "I thought Jason already knew his birth mom?"

"So did he. He just found out when they put a halt on his adoption."

Natasha let out a low whistle. "Ouch. That's gotta hurt." she sighed "Let me guess, he wants her to give up custody rights so that way Wayne can adopt him."

"Not-not quite. He wants to meet her."

"He does?"

"Mhm. Apparently Bruce is against the idea, hence why he has me asking you." Ben explained "I know this is kind of out of the blue and essentially not work related, but Jason really needs-"

"Ben, I need you to stop rambling for a minute." Natasha instructed causing Ben to stop talking. _That wasn't even a full out ramble,_ he thought petulantly "Did Jason say why Bruce doesn't want him meeting her?"

"Uh, no. No, he didn't."

"And what does Jason know about his birth mother?"

"He only mentioned that her name is Shelia Haywood." Ben replied warily "Why? What're you thinking?"

"What I'm thinking is that there maybe a good reason Bruce doesn't want Jason involved with this Shelia Haywood." Natasha paused for a moment "And Jason's sure this woman is his birth mother?"

"He sounded pretty sure."

"But did he have any hard proof? Like a DNA test or a confession?"

"I don't think people confess to the birth of children, Natasha." Ben sighed as he rolled his eyes "But no, I don't think he has any of that."

"Be a dear and double check for me, yeah? I'll take a closer look into Shelia Haywood and let you know what I find."

"Thank you, Natasha. I appreciate it."

"No problem." She told him and Ben could hear the smile in her voice. "Though I'm curious- how's it going with the VKs?" Ben turned back to his friends, only to sigh in fond exasperation. "That bad?"

"No. They're…" Ben trailed off as he stared trying to find the right word to describe the scene before him. Herkie was holding Carlos up by his wrist and Jay was balancing on one foot on Herkie's other hand.

When Jay caught Ben staring he gave the prince a cheeky grin. "You said we had to be right side up! Not back on the ground!"  Ben directed his gaze to Herkie, who shrugged in response, causing Jay to lose balance. Ben winced as Herkie dropped Carlos to the ground so he could catch Jay from falling.

"Ben? Ben, you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here." Ben sighed as Herkie all but threw Jay to check on Carlos, before realizing that now Jay was also probably injured, while Loki laughed in amusement. "They're doing just fine. The boys probably need to see the nurse, but otherwise fine."


End file.
